


A Meade Christmas Carol

by gallygaskins



Category: Ugly Betty
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-13
Updated: 2014-01-22
Packaged: 2017-12-29 07:14:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 46,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1002475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gallygaskins/pseuds/gallygaskins
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Christmas is a time of forgiveness, especially a time to forgive yourself, or that's what Becks tells Daniel after finding him in a bar drowning his sorrows in a bar on Christmas Eve. How will Bradford save his son with help from ghosts from Christmas past, present and yet to come, to change him back to the right path?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1  
  
It had been a day like no other in the history of Daniel Meade’s life and it had started at work. Being the first one onto the twenty eighth floor, he got himself a coffee from the kitchen before winding his way through the tube and into his office only to be pulled out of his reverie by the unmistakable sound of two people having sex. “What the hell?” He shouted at the amorous couple making out on his chaise.  
  
Amanda and Tyler, startled out of their lovemaking, both turned and looked at Daniel's incredulous face, “um, sorry, bro.” Tyler started.  
  
“Yeah, we thought we’d be ok in here, didn’t think you’d be in seeing as its Christmas Eve.”  
  
“Well I am,” he sneered, leaving his coat and briefcase on the chair in front of his desk before walking back out, “you’ve got five minutes to sort yourselves out and get to work.” He stepped out of the room before retracing his steps and popping his head around the doorframe, “and Amanda, get rid of those chaise and the coffee table,” his face was one of disgust, “and the rug. Get maintenance to get me a table and four chairs instead.”  
  
“You could say please?” She said tartly under her breath as Tyler helped her to stand before handing her her panties.  
  
“Please.” Daniel growled from the doorway, “I’ll be in the conference room sorting through the paperwork for the editorial meeting this morning.”  
  
“What editorial meeting?” She shouted out as she pulled the thong up her legs and tried to find a shoe that had now mysteriously gone missing.  
  
“The one you’re about to set up for nine o’clock this morning.” She heard him shout back as she kissed Tyler quickly on the lips and ran to her desk.  
  
“I’ll see you later, sweetie.” Tyler lent over her, noticing the tears forming along the rim of her eyes, “if daddy bear is nasty to you again today then I suggest you tell him where to stick his job.”  
  
“I can’t Ty, someone has to be here to watch over him. Betty’s not around anymore and he needs a friend.”  
  
“Betty hasn’t been here for nearly two years and you’re not his friend, Amanda. You haven’t been since the day he told every last one of us to butt out of his life.”  
  
“But he’s all alone, he has no one.” Amanda simpered. Her heart breaking for the shadow of the man that had only really come alive whenever Betty was around.  
  
“And that was his choice,” Tyler soothed. “It’s no one’s fault but his own. I mean, he’s my brother and I love him, but God he really needs to change his attitude here. No one is going to respect him for the way he treats people now. Even Betty would have a hard time getting through that block of ice that’s taken up residence in his chest. The man that she fell in love with is gone, Amanda. We have to face it, the Daniel Meade that everyone loved died the day Betty got on that plane to London.”  
  
“I know,” she blubbed, looking over towards the hunched over figure of Daniel in the conference room. “But it’s Christmas, and everyone deserves to be happy at Christmas, even Scrooge over there.”  
  
“I know.” Tyler’s arms circled Amanda’s shoulders. “I just wish there was something we could do, but we’ve all tried and he’s not interested. Shame I don’t know any ghosts.”  
  
“Ghosts?” Amanda looked around to her boyfriend, confusion written all over her face.  
  
“Yeah? Ghost of Christmas past, ghost of Christmas present, ghost of Christmas yet to come?”  
  
She shook her head, “You lost me.”  
  
“A Christmas Carol, Amanda? How the three ghosts came to Scrooge on Christmas night and changed his attitude, by Christmas morning he was a new man.”  
  
“Oh,” she looked at him, “still lost.”  
  
Tyler rolled his eyes, “we’ll watch it later, honey, no doubt one of the movie channels will be showing it.”  
  
“That’s a date.” She looked back to Daniel, “if only there were such things as ghosts.”

.oOo.

  
Daniel looked around the conference room, was it too much to ask to have a meeting set up at short notice and have everyone turn up. He looked to Amanda, his face fuming. “Did you tell everyone that they had to be here?” He watched Meegan sneak into the back of the room and find a chair. “Thanks for joining us Meegan.” Sarcasm dripping from his tone, “nice to see my meeting was a priority.”  
  
“I called everyone, Daniel.” She looked around at the motley crew sparsely dotted around the table. These few stragglers were only here because they either had workaholic genes like Betty, which consisted of Julie from accounting and Brandon from IT, or the rest were those that had stayed at the office after the Christmas Party from the night before, mostly nursing hangovers and suffering from sleep deprivation.  
  
“You talked to every last one?” He asked bitterly.  
  
“Well, not exactly.”  
  
“Either you did or you didn’t,” he shot back, his anger flaring, a fist landing on the table. Several of the Mode employees who had been resting their heads against the cool glass of the table top, shot upright, startled like rabbits caught in the blaze of a car headlight.  
  
She got up, this was enough. “Ok, Daniel. I rang everyone but not everybody picked up, including Wilhelmina. It’s Christmas Eve, no one wants to be here especially after the party last night, and it’s not like they need to be either. We’ve pretty much got the next three issues put to bed already.” She stopped to take a breath, psyching herself up for more but she just couldn’t do it. The look in his eye was a warning that this could get out of hand and it wasn’t fair of her to bitch about this in front of the rest of the staff. “I suggest that we all just call it a day and go home for the holidays.” She picked up her things from the desk in front of her and strutted out into the corridor.  
  
“What?” He growled, following her and grabbing her shoulder, “phone everyone back, I want them here in half an hour.”  
  
She turned around, throwing her stuff on the floor, “you know what? You do it. You want everyone here, you get them to get up out of bed and get their boney butts into this building. I’ve had it, Daniel.” She strutted off towards her desk.  
  
He followed closely behind her, “Amanda you’re my assistant. When I tell you to do something I expect you to damn well do it.” She picked up a box from the corner of the office and put it on her desk, as she started to gather her things. “What are you doing?”  
  
She looked up to him, tears streaming down her face, “something I should’ve done a long time ago.” She pulled open a drawer, on the top was the picture she had of Betty sleeping. She smiled wistfully at the picture remembering all of the good times that they had all shared together. She placed it down on the desk in front of Daniel. “It’s not like I need the job anyway, I was only doing it as a favour to a friend. I quit.”  
  
“You can’t.”  
  
“I can,” she placed an envelope with the photo. “That’s my two weeks notice.”  
  
“I won’t accept it.”  
  
“OK, but I’m gone anyway.” She said nonplussed, following him into his office after picking up the photo and the envelope and slamming the door behind her. She placed the envelope on his desk. “I’ve actually been sitting on it for months,” she began, the anger evident in her voice, “but I was torn. Torn between the love and respect I have for my boyfriend telling me to quit.” She paused, placing the photo of Betty on top of the envelope, “and torn by the love and respect I have for this woman. You know she phones me, every God damn week, asking me about you. And every week I’m torn again between telling her the truth and telling her a lie.”  
  
His eyes scanned the photo in front of him, afraid to touch it in case he got burnt. “And what do you do?”  
  
“I lie, Daniel. I lie to her in order to keep her happy because I know that if I tell her the truth it will destroy her.”  
  
“You’re mistaken, Amanda. Betty doesn’t care about me.”  
  
Amanda nodded, her face glum. “She will always care about you, it’s in her DNA. If she knew what you’d turned into she’d still care but I lie so I’m not the cause of any pain. She doesn’t deserve to know that the man she helped mould you into is gone.”  
  
“I’m still here.”  
  
“No, you’re not Daniel. Everybody that loved and respected you, hates you. I think there are only a handful of people that care about you and that’s because they’re either family or … Betty. Since she left you have turned into a miserly, selfish, bitterly twisted, unlovable man that doesn’t deserve anything more than to spend the rest of his life on his own.”  
  
“Amanda?” He shot up from his desk, clearly annoyed.  
  
“Don’t Amanda me, I’ve seen you change into someone that deserved every happiness when you had Betty here and then you let her go. It was the most stupid thing you’ve ever done.” She cried out, turning and running for the exit.  
  
He watched her pack away the rest of her things, put on her coat and walk out of sight before slumping down into his chair and picking up the photo of Betty. He pulled out the gas lighter from his draw, triggered the flame and placed it at the bottom corner of the picture, taking pleasure from seeing it catch ablaze. That was until guilt got the better of him and he blew out the flame before tracing the curve of her cheek with his fingers. He pulled out the bottle of scotch and Waterford crystal glass that lay hidden at the back of his desk drawer, pouring himself a slug and knocking it back. “Betty,” he whispered, with every emotion he could stomach.  
  
He closed his eyes, remembering the things that Amanda had said to him;  _miserly, selfish, bitterly twisted, unlovable_. Was he really all of those things? And if he was did he even care? Miserly, well there was some truth in that but even after they had recovered most of the Meade money from Connor Owens theft of it, they had still had to buy out Hartley and tighten their belts as a result until they could afford to get back to their former financial status. Did that make him miserly? He didn’t think so.  
  
Selfish? Now there was a word he hadn’t used to describe himself in a while. Yes he’d had his moments but he’d thought he’d done away with that for good when he’d let Betty go, he would’ve been selfish keeping her here so he couldn’t see how that word worked for him anymore either.  
  
Bitterly twisted, was he? He looked back at the photo. Bitterly twisted would’ve let the picture burn until there was nothing left, again he had to wonder at Amanda’s choice of words. He wasn’t that bad.  
  
Unlovable. If there was one word that Amanda succinctly managed to tar him with, that was the one and it bit through every fibre of his being. He was definitely unlovable. It was almost as if Betty had touched him and no one else could see him. He’d tried a few dates with other women since Betty had left but each time he’d met someone, none of them could hold a torch to her. He even started trying to go back to his former self, going out, partying, meeting a girl he could take home only to leave before he had even kissed her or got the cab driver to take her home before he went back to the dreary confines of his loft, alone. He just couldn’t be that person anymore.  
  
He poured out another slug, this one larger than the first but still knocking it back as he had done so before, the smooth, rich, nectar rushed through his body, the sugar infiltrating his veins and numbing his senses, he needed another and another. Today was going to be a good day, today was the day when he was going to give himself a present, today he was going to rid himself of Betty Suarez forever. He picked up the photo and tossed it in the trash, before sending an email to human resources telling them to start the paperwork on Amanda’s leaving and to get the ball rolling on finding a suitable replacement; the sooner he got rid of her the better it would be for him.  
  
He pulled his phone from his pants pocket, quickly switching it off and leaving it in his desk drawer. The last thing he needed now was for someone to get in contact with him. He stood up, picked up his coat and put it on, along with the leather gloves that Betty had got him for Christmas several years earlier when they were still friends. He sighed, taking them off again and throwing them into the can as well, he had to eradicate himself of her in any way that he could otherwise he just wouldn’t move on. Even the trivial things had to go.  
  
“Are you off out?” His mother startled him as he recovered from his thoughts.  
  
“Yes.” He simply stated.  
  
“And tomorrow?”  
  
“I don’t know.”  
  
“Daniel, I’m worried about you.”  
  
“You  _and_ Betty, my God something must be wrong.” He watched her close her eyes momentarily at the stab of pain he’d just inflicted. “Mom, I’m sorry I can’t deal with this right now.”  
  
“You haven’t been able to since she left. You’re falling apart Daniel.”  
  
“Mom, I’m fine. I just need to get back out there.” He left her standing in the doorway as he sauntered off towards the elevators.  
  
Claire stepped further into the room, wanting to investigate what he’d thrown away. As she picked up the gloves she noticed the photo and pulled it out too, her fingers touching the scorched edge; if he couldn’t bring himself to burn it then that had to be good news. Taking them with her she only hoped that he had the good sense to make an appearance at the mansion for Christmas lunch, she had a surprise for him; one that she also hoped would bring him back to her and the rest of their family.

.oOo.

  
Daniel was slumped at the bar of one of his old hangouts at Union Square. Since arriving he’d spoken to several women, got a couple of numbers and had even made out with a girl who he’d caught underneath the mistletoe before getting her into a booth and having her straddle his lap. It wasn’t until he’d been met in the men’s room by a burly guy demanding a hundred dollars that he realised that the girl was a hooker. He spent the rest of the evening soaking himself in scotch, trying to forget that harrowing experience.  
  
“Give me another shot.” He drooled, as the barman stood in front of him mixing some cocktails for another order.  
  
“I think you’ve had enough.”  
  
“Well, I don’t.” He answered unreasonably. He was fed up with people trying to tell him what was good for him and what wasn’t. “I want another shot.”  
  
“Look, buddy, it’s not gonna happen. You’re starting to piss off some of the other customers. I think it’s about time you sobered up a bit and went home. Is there anyone I can call?”  
  
Was there anyone he could call? No, of course there wasn’t. “Betty?”  
  
“Betty who? Have you got her number?”  
  
He shook his head, his eyes watery. “No,” he managed. “There’s no one.” He attempted to slide off the stool but slipped and fell down to a round of applause, his butt landing heavily on the wooden floor. “Argh.” He cried out in frustration rather than pain, although he had a feeling his backside was going to hurt like hell in a day or so.  
  
“Jeez Daniel, you’re a mess?”  
  
He looked up, shielding his eyes from the glare of the overhead lights, “Becks?”  
  
“Yeah,” Becks held his hands out to help Daniel up, “how are you doing?”  
  
“I’m good,” Daniel replied, swaying a little on the spot.  
  
“Not what I’ve been hearing.” Daniel looked away from Becks and shook his head. “Your mom was kinda frantic when I got to the mansion earlier on.”  
  
“You’re staying at mom’s?” Daniel asked suspiciously.  
  
“Yeah, she’s told you she’s worried about you, right? She just wanted my take on things.”  
  
“And from the man who can still be considered an international womanizer.”  
  
“Hey Danny, you left that life behind years ago. Don’t tell me you’re wanting to get some of the action back?”  
  
“Why not, I’m obviously not cut out for the 'one woman for the rest of my life' part. Something keeps happening to push that dream further away from me.”  
  
“And the family you desperately wanted. What happened to that dream?”  
  
“I’m not that man.”  
  
“You’re not this guy either. You’ve changed man, you can’t ever go back to that.”  
  
“You’re telling me that Amanda was right? That I’m destined to be alone?”  
  
Becks shook his head, “I don’t know Daniel, I’m not really the one you should be asking.” He fidgeted with his hands in his pockets. “Look I’ll get you home and tomorrow you can go by your mom’s house and have dinner with us all.”  
  
“OK,” Daniel said as Becks helped him out of the club and into a cab. The journey took no time to get to his loft and he was soon inside the lonely, grey rooms. “How many people are gonna be there?”  
  
“I don’t know, a few, I think. You really need this Daniel, you need to see all of the people that love you so that maybe you can turn a chapter here.”  
  
“I don’t know what you mean?” Daniel’s hackles began to rise.  
  
“You damn near frightened Amanda witless today.”  
  
“She quit on me.” He shouted.  
  
“Danny, she had good reason from what she, Tyler and Claire have been telling me. You’re not yourself.”  
  
“I’m fine, I wish everyone would just let me live my life on my terms for a change.”  
  
“And how do you want to do that?”  
  
“I … I …”  
  
“If you can’t tell me what you want …”  
  
Daniel cut him off, “Butt out, Becks. I wish that I could go back six years to a time that I could cope with, where women meant nothing and I meant even less. Everything was fine until Betty walked into my life. I really must remember to thank her for all the trouble she’s caused.” His snide remark had Becks eyebrows travelling north.  
  
“Betty was the best thing that happened to you.”  
  
“Really? Do you know you’re the second person that’s said that to me today?” Daniel sneered, “And the first one quit. I rue the day that woman crashed into my life, she changed me into a freak, into a man that no one can love.”  
  
“Maybe you’re looking for love in the wrong places.”  
  
Daniel shook his head, “no, she’s been poison. No one wants to come near me because she’s changed me beyond recognition. I hate her.”  
  
Becks couldn’t listen to another word, “ok, I just hope you can see things a little differently in the morning.”  
  
“Why?”  
  
“Because it’s Christmas Daniel and Christmas is a time for forgiveness, even if that means you have to forgive yourself. Your mother knows all about that, so perhaps you should ask her all about it.” Becks bit back his next thought, shaking his head instead and walking back towards the front door of the apartment. “See you tomorrow, Daniel. Sweet dreams.”  
  
Daniel stared at the back of the door as it closed shut, sealing him into his world. He stepped over to the kitchen pulling a bottle of whiskey from the fridge and knocking back a shot straight from the bottle. He wiped his hand across his mouth, leaving the bottle on the side and walking into his bedroom. He lay sprawled out on the bed, a hand covering his eyes as he silently wept, the emptiness in his life seeping through every pore in his body and filling him like a disease, almost like he was becoming riddled by a cancer such as the one that had killed Molly. He was totally alone and would always be so until he took his last breath. And he only hoped that that would happen soon, hoped that he would suffer an early death like his father because he couldn’t live his life like this anymore. He just wanted to cease to be.  
  
As the hours dragged on, he finally got peace when exhaustion left him with no other option than to close his eyes and sleep. Only to be awakened at midnight by the striking of an unfamiliar clock chime and the rushing of a cold wind over his face. He shot up, his eyes searching the darkness for an answer to the disturbance but nothing was immediately forthcoming, Then he heard ice chinking into a glass, the ice crackling as liquid was poured over them and the drinker knocking back the shot and exhaling sharply quickly afterwards. He reached for the baseball bat he kept under his bed for emergencies once he realised that a tennis racquet was no real weapon. Edging his way across the room he opened the bedroom door and shuffled out into the corridor. A light was on in the kitchen and he could see a man wandering around in the space behind the counter, Daniel decided he needed to just go for it. He rushed through the living room, the bat behind his shoulders, ready to attack whomever he found there. “Who the hell are you?” He cried out.  
  
A man stood by the sink, his back towards Daniel, his white hair clipped short and wearing an Hawaiian shirt and shorts. He turned on the spot, smiling down at him, “Hello, Daniel,” he said, a glass of scotch in his hand.  
  
Daniel’s eyes were wide, he couldn’t fathom what was going on, the shock evident on his face as he dropped the bat onto the floor with a loud clunk. “Dad?”  
  
The man nodded, “yes, it’s me. I told Betty to look after you, she hasn’t been doing a very good job has she?”  
  
“N … n … no! How … where … what are you doing here?”  
  
“Well, I had to come back and see my son, I had to come and warn you.”  
  
“About what?”  
  
“About this,” he waved his arms around, “about trying to go backwards. I don’t want you to end up like me, Daniel. I don’t want you to forge your chain in the way that I forged mine, a string of women that I never loved, the material wealth that I enjoyed, Fey Sommers and the way I hurt your mother so many times, especially when I divorced her was about to marry Wilhelmina Slater.”  
  
“What are you saying?”  
  
“Your chain was three times as long as mine was when I died but it was shrinking, with all the love and friendship that you developed with Betty, the chain was being broken down, link by link. But over the last few years it’s become stronger and longer than it ever was.”  
  
“Chain, what chain?”  
  
“The chain we forge in life, Daniel. Whenever we’re bad another link is added. You’ve been cruel and insensitive, not attributes I ever expected of you and as a result your chain is now four and a half times longer than mine. You need to stop what you’re doing. You need to find Betty and make things right again.”  
  
Daniel pinched himself, “I have to be dreaming,” he closed his eyes, pinched himself again and when he opened his eyes up, his father was stood in front of him peering at his face. Daniel jumped back. “How is this possible?”  
  
“I have been given one night to come and see you, to talk to you and try to get you to amend your ways. Soon I will be gone, and you will be visited by three shadows. One will take you over Christmases past, one over this present year and one will show you images of things that may very well become true should you continue along your current path. My aim, with their help, is to guide you to make the right choices.” Bradford appeared to fade somewhat before coming back in glorious technicolour, “Daniel, you’ve overcome great sadness, especially whilst also being able to overcome very stressful situations with the loss of all that money. You stepped up and did what you could before speaking with Hartley and asking for help. I’m glad that you were also able to buy him out. Your mother was right, I am very proud of you son.” He smiled before fading away once more, “remember, the first vision will be with you at one.” And then he was gone.  
  
Daniel looked around himself, nothing appeared to be out of place. The scotch bottle still sat on the counter with the top removed, the glass his father had used had disappeared. “That was freaky,” he said, bending down and picking up the baseball bat, before laughing to himself. “Good one, dad. Thanks for the tip on the chain by the way, great piece of advice.” A noise sounded behind him as if in answer to the sarcastic comment he had made. This was just too much, the scotch had obviously taken its toll on him, all he needed to do was go back to bed. He picked his way back to his room, the bat swinging in his left hand. “Honestly, I really do have to stop drinking so much.” He closed the door behind him.  
  
“Daniel Meade?” A female voice asked, “Daniel Meade,” it repeated anxiously.  
  
He reopened the door, peaking out into the darkened living room, “Ah, there you are?” Said the small Latina woman with the incredible smile and who was sat on his couch.  
  
“Who are you?” He asked, his eyes wide.  
  
“I’m Rosa Suarez, Betty’s mom.”


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
It always amazed Betty how flying had the effect of putting things into perspective. For her it had always seemed to give her status, each time she did it she would move one rung further up the ladder of life and how she fitted into it. The first time she had flown had been to Mexico in order to help out with her father’s immigration as well as meeting her maternal grandmother. She had found family there, had found out more about her mother and ultimately who she was; and it had all been courtesy of Daniel.  
  
Her second trip had taken her cross country on vacation. With everything that she’d been through with both Henry and Gio she had needed to kick back for a while and find herself again. It was time for a change; it was time for independence and city living on her own terms without the need for a man to shake things up. She just wanted to spend some time on her own and adjust to what was going on around her professionally. She got into YETI, she began writing pieces for Mode even if it was with Amanda’s help and she’d even produced a fashion show for designer Heinrich which had gone down a storm, especially when Christina had had her baby on the runway. It put everything into perspective for her and she knew at that point that she did really want her own magazine as well as having her own family. Wilhelmina had tried to tell her that she could only have a professional or a personal life the night Connor had left her, but after everything that Betty had been a party too, she knew she could have anything she wanted. The world was her oyster but there was a slight problem. It had taken her a little while to comprehend and even admit to herself what it was she actually wanted. She wanted to share it with someone and that someone was taken.  
  
Her third flight had seen her accompany Mode to the Bahamas, and so much had happened whilst they were there. She regretted only one thing about the trip and that wasn’t the fact that she’d started up with Matt again, even though he was destined to leave her several months later when his heart took him to Botswana. It was the fact that she hadn’t spent any time with Daniel. How different things could’ve been if she’d only spent even five minutes with him. Perhaps she would never have slept with Matt, although she was also stupid to think that Daniel would’ve taken her to his bed as he got back on his horse. It hadn’t stopped her heart wanting it though. If she were truly honest her little by little makeover had been to catch his attention, even if he hadn’t taken the hint.  
  
Her fourth flight, to London, had given her courage, not that she didn’t have mountains of confidence when it came to her professional life because of course she did; it was the personal one that always seemed to take a nose dive. Getting drunk and flashing Gio had only been the start, but drunk dialling Henry had been silly and thoughtless. Had she had the time and inclination to understand that her actions had caused pain in others she may well have never done it. Gio had told her that there was only one man for her, and she’d thought he was talking about Henry, but know she knew he’d actually meant Daniel. Everyone could see it but the both of them. Had she called Daniel instead of Henry and used the drink as an excuse to give her the courage she needed to tell him how she felt about him, she may well have ended up in Daniel’s arms after she’d courageously asked him to be her date at Hilda’s wedding. And then there may have never been the need to return to London months later to follow her dream.  
  
When she’d taken her last flight, it had been a flight of discovery. Not only to find out even more about herself and how she would cope bringing out a fledgling magazine and watching it grow in front of her very eyes but also to see how she could personally handle being away from Daniel. And away she was, he never called, never returned her emails or messages. He had gone black. And she hated it. She now realised why it had been so difficult to find the words to tell him she was leaving, because leaving would mean giving up a part of herself, it meant giving up on their friendship and ultimately her love for him; and she wasn’t ready to do that yet. Amanda had told her that he was happy but she sensed that things were tense and couldn’t understand why she was lying to her. Perhaps this visit she would be able to find out for herself what was going on and maybe make steps to change things. After all, she was coming home, for good.  
  
As her flight descended into JFK, she sighed looking out of her window across to the city that she loved so well. This was going to be a complete surprise for everyone. She only hoped she could hold her nerve as she told them all about her plans and why she was home.

.oOo.

An hour later, she was in her new duplex apartment looking out over the buildings to the Washington Square Park, where years earlier she had said goodbye to Matt. Yes it was a reminder of a sad time but it was also a reminder of starting over again. And that was what she was doing, starting over again, back home where she knew people and where she could meet her friends for drinks and visit her old haunts. Maybe fall in love with the man she desired more than any other now that she knew she was in love with him. There had been no one since Matt, not even a young, high flying, Brit by the name of Christian Hawkins could tempt her. He was good looking with auburn hair and green eyes, a well-toned torso and strong limbs. He was also extremely kind and thoughtful, romantic and charming and was rich, from old money. But even the endless flowers, chocolates and extremely expensive presents that she could never accept and sent back, weren’t enough for her to accept an invitation to dinner.  
  
She sat down on the end of the bed, looking through the glass half wall and down the floating stairs into the dining area below. Claire had out done herself and Betty would have to remember to thank her. Having made the decision to come home she had spoken to Claire, the one person she knew she could trust to keep her secret, and as the time drew nearer for her to return Claire had offered to help find her somewhere to live and have it decorated. Whether or not Claire had come into budget or not would be a discussion for another day, however Betty was pleased with the results. She knew she would be happy and comfortable here and would never have to worry about finding her mortgage repayments. Everything had been bought and paid for. Not that that meant she would sit on her laurels for too long. She had a magazine to start and there was no room for delay. Once she’d unpacked her stuff form the UK that was being delivered the following week and she had found her feet once more.  
  
 _But first things first_ , she thought as she dragged her suitcase up the stairs and began hanging her clothes. It was still early so there wasn’t much movement around outside, but she took pleasure in being able to look out of the windows and see the sky, something that had been lacking in her dreary flat in London. With each dress or skirt or blouse she pulled from the case she would see several birds, or a helicopter, or just watch the clouds as they sped by, the crisp morning sun trying to break through before they dusted the city in another blanket of snow.  
  
She heard her phone going off downstairs and quickly ran down in order to pick it up, “hello?”  
  
“Betty, it’s so great to hear your voice.”  
  
“Claire, hi. Thanks. And it’s great to be back.”  
  
“I was sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy London very much, but it couldn’t be much fun if you’re lonely.” There was sadness to Claire’s voice.  
  
“Is everything ok?”  
  
“Yes, everything’s fine. Do you like your apartment?” Claire asked; it was her tactic to change the subject that Betty understood was Claire’s way of moving away from something she didn’t want or need to talk about.  
  
“It’s beautiful Claire, I love it. Although I’m not so sure about the only thing separating my bedroom and downstairs should be a few sheets of glass.”  
  
“We can always hang some soft drapes for a bit of privacy.”  
  
“Well, that wasn’t my only concern.”  
  
“Betty, is it likely that you’ll be taking in a roommate?”  
  
“I guess not.”  
  
“Then you have nothing to worry about. I’m sure your chosen partner, whoever he may turn out to be, will be thrilled by any noises you make as a result of his lovemaking.”  
  
This was a bit personal, something akin to Claire getting out of her milk bath in front of Betty naked when they had first met. “Um … ok?”  
  
“Betty, I’m sorry if that was a little forward, having three children is very … liberating. As is age.”  
  
“It’s ok, I’m not completely devastated.” She held her head in her hands, now she needed to change the subject.  
  
“Everything is very comfortable and beautiful though. And I noticed you stocked up the fridge for me.”  
  
“There’s stuff in the cupboards too, and I thought you might like a fruit basket.”  
  
“Thanks, do I owe you anything?”  
  
“Not a penny, Betty. Everything has been taken care of.”  
  
“Claire, please. If I owe you anything then please let me know so I can arrange to pay you back.”  
  
“Consider it an overdue birthday present as well as an early Christmas present.”  
  
“I couldn’t.” Betty clamoured.  
  
“You can. There aren’t many times that my money treats someone and you deserve it. You’re coming home has been the best tonic for me in a long time. I miss our chats Betty, I can’t wait to go to the salon with you or have lunch.”  
  
“Claire, are you ok?”  
  
“I’m just glad you’re home. I consider you as much my own daughter and I would just love to go shopping with you.”  
  
Betty laughed, “as long as you don’t try to steal anything this time and then try and pin it on me.”  
  
“Don’t worry; I learnt my lesson last time. I just think it would be good for us both to have someone we can spend some time with.”  
  
  
“I’d like that.” Betty said, as she finished off making a PB and J sandwich.  
  
“Good. And you haven’t forgotten about tomorrow have you?”  
  
“No, I’m going to go over and see Papi and Hilda in a moment, then I’m going to do some last minute shopping and then I’ll be ready for tomorrow. I want to spend the morning over at Papi’s and then I’m hoping to get to you about four o’clock, is that ok?”  
  
“Betty that will be wonderful. Give everyone a hug from me and tell them all that I hope I’ll see them for New Year at my gala ball.”  
  
“I’ll tell them. See you tomorrow.”  
  
“Yes, see you then. Happy Christmas Betty.”  
  
“Happy Christmas, Claire.” She said as she shut off her phone and began munching through her sandwich. When she had moved into her first city apartment it had felt so good because she was all grown up and Little Miss Independent, she could do what she wanted to, when she wanted to and no one would be there waggling a finger at her or frowning at the dirty knife she’d just left in the sink. And now that she owned the whole place and every last stick of furniture it was even better, no one could take this away from her, ever.  
  
After finally finishing off putting her clothing and cosmetics away, she decided to go and have a shower. Once she had washed herself clean and dried her hair in her now usual sleek, poker straight style, she fixed her contacts and put on a pair of dark denim skinny jeans and a violet roll neck jumper dress, a wide black belt finished the outfit off. She threw on some thick socks and her knee high boots before wrapping up in her raspberry coat and black accessories. She was ready to face the world.  
  
As she stepped out onto the pavement she was nearly knocked flying by a man striding past her building at high speed, and that didn’t look dissimilar to Daniel. Not that she was going to find out. Firstly, the man had been severely scowling and secondly, Claire had made her promise not to tell him she was in the city if she did speak to him. She quickly raised her arm for a cab, got in the back and told the driver her father’s address before delving into her bag and calling Amanda. Tyler answered. “What’s up Betty?”  
  
“Hi Tyler, is Amanda there?”  
  
“Er ... I’m not sure she can come to the phone right now.”  
  
“Oh, I think I’ve just narrowly avoided Daniel and wanted to check that everything was ok.”  
  
“Betty, everything is not fine. Look do you want to come over? I think Amanda could use a friend.”  
  
“Ok, I’ll be right there.” She said before knocking off the phone. “Sorry there’s been a change of plan, I need to go back to NoHo first.”  
  
The driver turned around and headed back. Betty was soon out and walking into Tyler’s building. The doorman had already been told of Betty’s impending arrival so was shown the elevator and allowed to go straight up. She banged on the door.  
  
Tyler opened up, smiling at her, “Betty, come on in.” He took her into a hug as she crossed the threshold, helping her out of her coat and motioning for her to go through to his and Amanda’s bedroom. Amanda was sat on the bed amidst a sea of tissues. “I’ll leave you girls to it.”  
  
“No,” Amanda shouted, “no, please, Tyler. I want you here too.”  
  
He walked around Betty as she stood before the bed, and seated himself next to Amanda, his arm creeping over her shoulders and cuddling her against his chest. Betty smiled at the picture; never in all her years did she ever think she’d see Amanda so domesticated and happy with her situation. She obviously loved the youngest Meade sibling very much.  
  
Betty moved forward, “am I ok here?” Betty pointed at the edge of bed, her intention to sit there.  
  
“Come here, please,” Amanda wailed.  
  
Betty crawled closer, startled when Amanda suddenly leapt forward and drew her into her embrace. “I’m sorry, Betty.”  
  
She drew back, a look of concern in her eyes, “for what?”  
  
“For lying to you.”  
  
“Lying?” She watched Amanda nodding her head profusely. “What are you talking about?”  
  
“Daniel, I never told you the truth.”  
  
  
“Well, I figured that out. You and Claire were continually claiming that ‘everything was ok’ when quite clearly it wasn’t.”  
  
“What?” Amanda was now dumbstruck.  
  
“Amanda, you have a tell, I know when you’re lying to me and as for Claire? She would always change the subject. So between the two of you I pretty much know that everything is not ok with Daniel. In fact, after seeing him glare earlier on, I’d say everything is pretty dire.” She sighed, “so what’s been going on?”  
  
“Oh Betty, he’s just lost it.” Amanda stated, her tears still plummeting down her face.  
  
“How?”  Betty asked.  
  
“He’s just become this other person, ugly and angry all the time.” Tyler said, “he shouts at everyone, he expects them to all jump to his tune. It’s almost like he’s become Wilhelmina.”  
  
“And Wilhelmina has become him.” Amanda finished.  
  
“So what happened this morning?”  
  
Tyler and Amanda looked at one another, “he caught us having sex in his office.”  
  
Betty folded her arms across her chest, “what happened this morning Amanda that’s relevant, I’d be pretty angry if I found my assistant in my office making out with her boyfriend.”  
  
“Well, that’s when it started; he demanded I contact everyone for a meeting this morning at nine.”  
  
“Nothing unusual about that.”  
  
“Apart from the fact we had the office party last night. I only managed to get in touch with a handful of people this morning, neither Marc nor Wilhelmina answered. And I wouldn’t have been there either if it wasn’t for the fact we were just so comfortable on the office chaise.”  
  
  
“Remind me to never sit on them again.” Betty chuckled.  
  
“You won’t have to; I had to get maintenance to remove them.”  
  
“Oh, right. So then what?”  
  
“He went off the deep end, started telling me that I needed to do my job and get people in there. So I told him to do it himself.”  
  
“Well, that’s not unreasonable; you’d done your best under the circumstances.”  
  
“That’s what I told her,” Tyler agreed.  
  
“I handed my resignation in and he wouldn’t accept it.”  
  
“That’s not a bad thing either.” Betty sympathised, considering Daniel had fired her more times than she cared to remember.  
  
“So I let rip, I went into his office, slammed the door and told him what for.”  
  
“What did you tell him?”  
  
“I told him that every week I lied to you because I didn’t want to be the cause of your pain, Betty, especially when you still cared for him. I told him that he was a shadow of the man that you had moulded him into, that he had no respect from the staff, that everyone hated him and that the man he had become was miserly, selfish, bitterly twisted and unlovable and deserved to be on his own for the rest of his life.” Amanda slumped back against Tyler’s chest.  
  
“Wow.” Betty was shocked, “and what did he have to say.”  
  
“Nothing. I then told him that he had deserved to have every happiness with you until he let you go and that he had made the biggest mistake in his life by doing that. That’s when I packed my desk up and walked.”  
  
“What do you mean, let me go?”  
  
Amanda looked up to Tyler, realising she may have said too much. Tyler smiled and nodded, “he’s in love with you Betty.” Amanda said.  
  
“But he can’t seem to move on; he’s not been with anyone since you left.” Tyler added, “he blames you for leaving him tainted.”  
  
“Oh,” Betty said, “well, this just keeps getting better.”  
  
“Betty, I’m sorry.” Amanda leant forward, her hand out towards her friend.  
  
Betty took her hand and kissed it. “Amanda, this is not your fault. If only Daniel and I had been honest with ourselves and each other right from the start then maybe none of this would’ve happened.”  
  
“What are you saying?” Amanda’s eyebrows knitted together.  
  
“You’re in love with my brother.” Tyler answered for Betty.  
  
Betty nodded her head, “Yes, I was in love with him before I left.”

.oOo.

As she reached the top step of her father’s house the door was opened wide, “chipmunk!” Bobby yelled, “are you a sight for sore eyes.”  
  
She ran into his arms as he picked her up and twirled her around in the hallway. “Hey, guess who’s here?”  
  
Hilda ran out from the kitchen, rubbing her hands on a tea towel. She stopped as soon as she reached the living room, her hand dropping the towel to the floor and covering her mouth. “Betty, what are you doing here?”  
  
Betty walked over to where her sister stood, “I’m home, Hilda. For good. I’ll tell you all about it later but for now let’s just celebrate my coming home.” She hugged her sister tightly, “I see we have cause for another celebration,” she said, stepping back from her sister and placing a hand on her belly.”  
  
Hilda covered Betty's with her own. "FIve months Betty. I think this one's a keeper."  
  
“Oh, I’m so happy for you both,” there were tears in her eyes. “I’m going to be an aunt again.”  
  
“Hey, no crying, this is happy moment,” Hilda warned.  
  
“I know, I just can’t help myself. Oh this is great, marvellous in fact. Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl?”  
  
“A girl, Betty.”  
  
“Oh great, I can’t wait for her to come stay with me in the city, go shopping, have margarita’s.”  
  
“She’s not even born yet and you’re already planning?” Hilda asked.  
  
“I’m just excited.” She looked around her, “where’s Papi and Justin?”  
  
“Justin is at a friend's,” Hilda explained, “and Papi is upstairs with Elena.”  
  
“It’s half three in the afternoon.”  
  
“They don’t call it afternoon delight for nothing,” Bobby whispered in her ear as he passed the girls on the way to the fridge for a beer. “Ignacio couldn’t wait to unwrap his present.”  
  
“Thanks for that, Bobby.” She screwed her eyes up, “that really was an image I hoped to avoid.”  
  
“Come on, whilst it’s quiet we can catch up.” Hilda grabbed Betty’s hand and pulled her over to the couch. “So, how you been since we last spoke. You’re looking lovely by the way, your hair is amazing and you’ve lost a bit more weight.”  
  
“Yeah,” Betty sighed. “I just have to keep up the walking in Manhattan and then I can keep down to this weight, which I like actually. My clothes fit better.”  
  
“But you don’t want to overdo it, you always looked lovely.”  
  
“No, I always looked plump. I’ll need to book in for a trim next week, if that’s ok Hilda?”  
  
“Of course, I’ll always have room for my baby sister. You know that.” Hilda paused. “Have you seen him yet?”  
  
“If by him you mean Daniel, then yes I have, briefly. He nearly ran me down. I wondered how long it would take you to ask.”  
  
Hilda shrugged, “so did you speak to him.”  
  
Betty shook her head. “No, it’s a bit weird actually. I went to see Amanda and Tyler before I came here. Amanda was upset because she’d just quit Mode.”  
  
“She quit?”  
  
Betty nodded, “she was really upset, apologizing for not being honest with me.”  
  
“Did you tell her you knew?”  
  
“Yep.”  
  
Hilda motioned for Betty to carry on, “and?”  
  
“She said that he’s always angry and that people hate him.”  
  
“Well they do, When Justin interned over the summer he couldn’t believe the change in Daniel towards other people, although he was always civil to Justin.”  
  
“Probably because he knew you’d kick his ass.” Betty chuckled.  
  
“Yeah, I guess. But Marc’s been around here shooting his mouth off. Daniel is not a nice man to know anymore, by all accounts. I don’t know what you did to him Betty, apart from leaving him, but he’s seriously pissed off.”  
  
“He knew where I was; besides he wasn’t the only one. No phone call, no email, a no show at the airport. I thought he hated me. Except Tyler informed me earlier on that he loves me. How can that be, Hilda?”  
  
“He’s not one for showing his emotions, every time he’s done it, it’s ended badly.”  
  
“Amanda said that he let me go.”  
  
“Oh my God, really?” Hilda shook her head, “it’s like that Sting song, right? If you love somebody set them free.”  
  
“What are you talking about?”  
  
“He let you go because your happiness was more important to him than his was.”  
  
“No, that can’t be it.”  
  
“Why not? It makes perfect sense; he left you alone so that you could get on with the life you dreamed about. It didn’t include him so he avoided you.”  
  
“But my life would never be complete without him in it.”  
  
“Did you ever tell him that before you left?”  
  
“I wanted to.”  
  
“And when you emailed him, did you ever mention it?”  
  
“No. Oh my God, Hilda, what have I done?”  
  
“Nothing that can’t be fixed, especially now that you’re staying.” Hilda said, “why is that by the way?”

.oOo.

Betty had wanted so much to tell Hilda and her family exactly why she was back but until she spoke to Claire she had to wait. It was killing her though, she hated keeping secrets but she had made a promise and she always followed through, well mostly anyway.  
  
She looked up from her writing and placed the laptop on the bed beside her. The under-floor heating and cooling system that Claire had had installed for her worked like a dream and she found it slightly ironic that she was able to sit on top of the coverlet of her bed in nothing more than a satin strappy vest and shorts set in pink with a black lace edge looking out of her window at the snow as it fell silently to earth. It felt like she should’ve been in the balmy Bahamas rather than in blustery New York. If only she could’ve gone back to the swimsuit shoot.  
  
Looking over to the clock she noticed it was after one, it was Christmas day and she knew that it wasn’t going to be an incredibly easy day. She picked up the long black velvet box from the nightstand and opened the lid. Her fingers lightly danced over the silver Mont Blanc pen hoping that Daniel would love his gift. She’d seen it in the shop window every day as she’d passed on her way to Dunne Publications, hoping that one day she’d be able to buy it for him. Once she was able to she knew that it’s value would certainly make up for the missed birthdays and Christmas last year but now she was uncertain if it was enough to break down the barrier that had been inextricably put up between them. She only hoped it would, along with the words in the card that she had written to accompany it. “I hope you like it.” She said.  
  
“He will.” Her head shot up, she’d know that voice anywhere. “I thought you were going to look after him for me?” Bradford said as he walked out of the shadows near the bathroom. “Claire did a great job.”  
  
“Yes, she did,” Betty responded, pulling the covers over her barely covered body. “What do you want?”  
  
“To know why you didn’t fulfil your promise?”  
  
“I had to go; I had to follow my dreams.”  
  
“And they didn’t include Daniel.”  
  
“Not then, no.” She shouted.  
  
“And now?” He asked, sitting on the side of the bed. “Betty, I hired you because I knew that you would be good for him. If you saw the wreck of the man he is tonight then you’d know why I’m so upset.”  
  
“He let me go.” She said, her emotions finally getting the better of her as her tears began to fall. “He set me free.”  
  
“I know,” Bradford said, “I saw it all, he fell in love with you but when he realised it was too late, you were already gone.”  
  
“He could’ve come after me.”  
  
“He would’ve had to swallow his pride to do that and as a Meade we’re just not capable.”  
  
“And now? He’s turned into someone I don’t think I’m going to like.”  
  
“Betty, do you love him?”  
  
She nodded, “yes.”  
  
“Then let me handle this, hopefully by the morning he’ll have a change of heart.”  
  
“I hope so.” She wiped her eyes, “how are you going to change him?”  
  
“I have some friends helping him out, showing him where he’s gone wrong and what may happen if he continues on this course.”  
  
“Oh, well good luck.”  
  
“Thank you. Now I need another promise from you, one that I hope you’ll keep this time.” He smiled.  
  
“Yes?”  
  
“Look after him and love him until the end your days.”  
  
Betty smiled, her face lighting up. “I will, Mr Meade, I promise.”  
  
“Thank you Betty, I appreciate it.” He looked at his watch, “I’m sorry, I need to go. I need to make sure that my first friend is with Daniel.”  
  
“Oh, who is it? Becks? Alexis?” She chuckled.  
  
“No, Betty. Your mom.” He said as he slowly disappeared.  
  
“My mom?” Betty questioned the air, “how on earth is she going to help out?”


	3. Chapter 3

“Daniel Meade?” A female voice asked, “Daniel Meade,” it repeated anxiously.  
  
He reopened the door, peaking out into the darkened living room, “Ah, there you are?” Said the small Latina woman with the incredible smile and who was sat on his couch.  
  
“Who are you?” He asked, his eyes wide.  
  
“I’m Rosa Suarez, Betty’s mom.”  
  
As soon as she stood up and moved closer to him, Daniel could immediately tell that the woman in front of him was indeed Rosa Suarez. From the few photographs that he had seen and Betty’s resemblance to her there was no mistaking who she was. “Hello, Mrs Suarez,” he said politely.  
  
“Call me Rosa,” she answered, her smile as warm and bright as Betty’s. It was no wonder that Ignacio had found her irresistible. “I have been entrusted to show you visions of the past. Some of the visions you see tonight are yours and some of them are Betty’s but be rest assured that they are simply a guide to a better future for you. When all three shadows have concluded their visit with you it will be you who ultimately chooses your path.”  
  
“Ok.” He gulped, “what do I have to do?”  
  
“Just take my hand, Daniel,” she said, before lifting her hand up to him. He took it, the size and shape not dissimilar to Betty’s. “What are you thinking about, Daniel?” Her soothing voice enveloped him, making him feel safe. If only he had felt this growing up, instead of the coldness that he got from his father and the absenteeism of his mother.  
  
“I was just thinking how alike Betty is to you.”  
  
“She has grown into a beautiful woman.”  
  
“Yes,” he muttered, his mind wandering to one of the last times he had seen her in the blue, white and yellow dress that she looked incredible in; the day when he finally signed her release form so that she was able to follow her dreams. The day he should’ve told her how he was feeling instead of walking away from her and letting her believe that he no longer cared.  
  
“If it’s any consolation, there is never a day goes by when Betty doesn’t think about you.” She smiled at his teary expression. She took a hold of his hands in both of hers. “Come on, there’s something I need to show you.”  
  
As Rosa closed her eyes, Daniel’s living room quickly faded to be replaced by his bedroom in the mansion. He looked around the walls and the cupboards; by the looks of things he couldn’t have been very old, stuffed toys filled the bed, large hardback colourful books filled his shelves, green trees, tigers, elephants and other animals were painted as a life size mural over the walls and tiny slippers sat by the bed. If he had to hazard a guess he’d say this room was from when he was around four or five.  
  
The door suddenly swung open and his younger self hurried forward in front of the nanny, climbing up into the bed and settling himself under the covers.  
  
 _“What do you want me to read to you tonight?” His nanny asked him, her smile kind._  
  
 _“Where the wild things are,” he clapped, “please.”_  
  
 _“I thought as much, you love that book don’t you?”_  
  
 _“Yes.” He laughed, “it’s my favourite.”_  
  
 _His nanny picked up the book, whilst Daniel got himself comfortable in his bed, lying back on his pillows as she took a seat next to him so that he could see the pictures. She turned the pages and began to read._  
  
“Do you remember this?” Rosa asked.  
  
“Vaguely,” Daniel answered, “I remember the story, I loved that story. I used to get nanny Emma to read it every night for me because I loved it so much.”  
  
“You were four on this particular night.” Rosa said, “why did you like that book so much?”  
  
Daniel smiled, “it would take me off to a faraway place, away from the troubles at home, away from mom’s drinking and dad’s screwing around.” He looked over to Rosa, “I’m sorry, what I meant was dad never loved me, he spent his time with Alex or whichever particular flavour of the month he was sleeping with at the time.” He watched Rosa cross herself. “I guess I just wanted to escape.”  
  
“Your father did love you, very much. He told Betty on his death bed to take care of you, that she was the only one that could keep you on your path, that you would be lost without her.”  
  
“He was right.”  
  
Rosa placed a comforting hand on his arm, “shall we see what happens next?” Daniel nodded as the bedroom door cranked open and his father stood in the doorway.  
  
 _“Daddy,” Daniel jumped up in his bed as Bradford crossed the room and took his son into a hug._  
  
 _Bradford sat on the edge of the bed, the cue for the nanny to leave the room. He sat Daniel in his lap, brushing his hair from out of his eyes. “I hope you’ve been good for your mom today?”_  
  
 _Daniel nodded, “yes, sir.”_  
  
 _“And have you told her you love her?”_  
  
 _“Yes, this morning when she was having breakfast.”_  
  
 _“You’re a good boy.” He held him close, kissing the top of his head. “Do you want me to finish the story?” The little boy nodded, before sliding out of his father’s lap and taking his place back in his bed. Bradford took a seat by his son where the nanny had previously vacated. He pulled Daniel to him so that his son’s head was resting against his chest, “now where did you get to?”_  
  
 _“Not very far,” Daniel grinned up to his father._  
  
 _“I suppose we best start from the beginning again then.” Bradford opened the book at the start and began to read, Daniel following the pictures and making roaring noises along with his dad._  
  
Daniel looked to Rosa, “I look happy.” He shook his head, unable to believe the scene that was unfolding before him. “Dad loved me once.”  
  
“Yes,” Rosa agreed, “he never had to worry about you.”  
  
“Why?”  
  
“Because even though your father had to spend his time with Alex, raising your brother to run the business; he always felt that you knew he had to coach Alex and for that reason you accepted his time away from you. You were always so forgiving of the situation when you were younger, like on this night here. At that age you were also very forgiving of your mother.” Rosa held out her hand for Daniel to take, in a moment they were stood watching the events leading up to Claire falling over the Christmas tree. As she landed on the floor, little Daniel rushed to his mother’s aid, his little hand removing his handkerchief from his pants pocket and holding it tightly against the cut on Claire’s head.  
  
“I love my mother very much, it’s been hard watching her sink herself into a bottle over the years in order to quash the pain of my father’s numerous and blatant affairs. That was one of the reasons why I hated him. As I grew older I guess I figured he despised me, because he hardly spent any time with me and to hurt mum like that.”  
  
“Do you think that’s why you became a … himbo? Wasting your trust money on drink and women so that he couldn’t ignore you anymore?”  
  
“I think so, Rosa. But Betty helped me see past that, helped me understand that I could actually become someone that my father would be proud of.”  
  
“Like the day he was laid to rest?”  
  
Daniel thought back, not only had they buried his father that day but the magazine had almost been lost. Rosa closed her eyes once again and they were in the conference room. Only he and Betty remained after Daniel had shown everyone the new cover that he had dedicated to his father. “Your father told Betty that he was very proud of you for stepping up and creating that cover.”  
  
“It was inspired by your daughter.”  
  
Rosa smiled, “but do you remember what you said to her?” He shook his head as the visions played before them. He heard himself say …  
  
 _“… well it was your whole blank slate thing that gave me the idea. Thank you, very much.” He watched as she went over to the table, picking up garbage and putting it on the tray, “you know Betty, you’re really good at this.” He moved to stand by her side, “are you sure you don’t wanna come back?”_  
  
 _“I can’t,” Betty said, tears forming in her eyes, “my mother would never approve of the person I was becoming here, all this changing.”_  
  
 _He leant across, his hand on her arm in order to get her to look at him, “hey, you’re growing up. It doesn’t matter what you do for a living, you’re always going to have tough choices to make Betty.” He smiled, “I really think you can stay here and still be the person you wanna be. Someone your mother would be so proud of.” Taking in her demeanour he asked, “you’re not going to start crying again are you?”_  
  
 _“No,” she said, her voice cracking as she shook her head. “Yes,” she admitted as they both chuckled._  
  
Rosa’s hand crept up to Daniel’s arm, “thank you.”  
  
“What for, Rosa?” Daniel asked, a lump forming in his throat.  
  
“For making my baby girl understand that she would always have tough decisions to make, no matter how she decided to live her life.”  
  
“You taught her some very valuable lessons too, they rubbed off on me. I should be thanking you.”  
  
“No, I made her too honest, she needed to understand that sometimes you have to take risks and break rules to get what you want. I’m no saint, Daniel. I ran away from my husband in Mexico to be with my lover, Betty’s father. We thought my husband was dead, if I’d known he was still alive I couldn’t have married Ignacio. We have committed a mortal sin.”  
  
Daniel could see where she was going with this. “All Betty and I did was teach each other how to cope with our lot in life and what to do to make it better.”  
  
Rosa nodded, he understood. “We need to skip back a bit,” she took his hand and closed her eyes. Next thing he knew they were standing in the Suarez’s living room.  
  
He saw himself stood in front of the Christmas tree that he’d ordered for the family, Hilda’s ornament in his hand. He chuckled.  
  
“Something funny?” Rosa asked.  
  
“I just remember buying the tree because I’d thrown up in four rooms of the house and because everyone was so nice to me.”  
  
“Hmm, Sofia was a piece of work.” Rosa commented, watching his smile fade.  
  
“She was,” he answered.  
  
He looked up as he heard Hilda ask him if his family had never had any trees. His other self answered …  
  
 _“Yeah, we had amazing trees. Electric trains running underneath, Waterford icicles. You name it. Just we weren’t allowed to touch anything.”_  
  
Rosa shook her head, “Christmas is a time for family to spend time together and put up the decorations, I’m sorry yours never seemed to be like that.”  
  
“It’s fine, it’s what you get used to I suppose.”  
  
“You know, Ignacio was right. You were marvellous dealing with the tension between Santos and Justin; you will make a great father someday. I think the day you spent with my family only helped to strengthen your resolve in order to make sure that your own family’s Christmases would be like ours and not like the ones you had growing up. When you have a family …”  
  
He cut her off, “If I have a family. I can’t see that happening for me.”  
  
“It will, I’m sure of it. You have too much love to give and your heart is too big.”  
  
“Thank you, Rosa.” He looked across to her; the kindness he saw in her eyes reminded him of her daughter. He smiled.  
  
“Are you ok?”  
  
“Yes,” he said eventually, “I just wish I’d told your daughter how I felt about her years ago.”  
  
“Daniel, everything happens for a reason. You both had some growing up to do.” She took his hand, “let’s take a look at Christmas that same year.” He nodded as the Suarez living room faded and he caught sight of Betty and himself in his office at the Christmas Party. He had just given Betty the gift of the Tiffany’s cardholder with a batch of recently printed business cards for Betty’s new position at MYW. For someone that had only been in his life for a matter of months the hugging pair were both especially upset. He remembered that he’d just told her that she was destined for bigger things than being his assistant but it still hurt. Rosa held out a handkerchief.  
  
“I lost a part of myself that night.”  
  
“But you got it back when Betty found out about Hunter, and when Sofia did that unforgivable thing to you on national television. Do you remember what you said to Sofia that night, the message you left on her voicemail?”  
  
“Some of it,” it played out in front of him.  
  
 _“… You do take my breath away. You make my heart beat faster. You make my palms … sweat. But that doesn’t mean I don’t love you. It means I do. Sometimes your heart knows things your mind can’t explain but my heart doesn’t race for anyone else …”_  
  
“Did you ever feel this way again?”  
  
“Yes,” he looked at Rosa briefly before looking away again, “but I think you know that.”  
  
“And yet you found it so easy to tell Sofia all of these things.”  
  
“Betty deserved something better, someone else.”  
  
“Is that what you keep telling yourself? And what about Betty, did you ever stop to think about what she wants? Listen to your heart Daniel, it will tell you what she is feeling. What does your heart tell you?”  
  
“I don’t know,” he screamed in frustration, “I never knew.”  
  
“You did Daniel; you just chose to ignore it. The day you signed her release you knew it then.”  
  
“Alright,” he shouted. “I knew it, and if I’d had the guts to tell her…”  
  
“Only tell her?” Rosa prompted, as she smiled once more.  
  
“Ok, I was ready to take her in my arms and kiss her.”  
  
“So, why didn’t you.”  
  
“Because it wasn’t fair to do that, I was trying to do the right thing. I let her go with a free mind not one confused by my feelings for her.” He closed his eyes, “I’m an idiot.”  
  
“No, Daniel, you’re not. I understand what you were doing. She was still growing up; you were way ahead of her. You didn’t want to push her into something that would ultimately present her with a choice that could still potentially take her away from you. So you tried to let her go so that you both could be spared the pain. You kept the pain to yourself.”  
  
He nodded, “yes, that’s exactly why I did it.” He whispered.  
  
“You poor boy.” Rosa sympathised, her arms enveloping him in an all too familiar embrace. “So capable of giving your heart away but too bruised to show the only woman he trusted with it, everything she meant to him.” As the room faded out Rosa said, “she has shown you so many times that you can trust her, especially since Molly’s passing.”  
  
He saw himself sat on the Townhouse steps, Betty rushing to the distraught figure of the man that he had become after returning home and finding Molly’s body being taken away. She’d stayed with him all night, hugging him, soothing his breaking heart with her kind words, mopping up the tears as he sobbed. She lay with him on the bed, her arm around him, comforting him as his exhausted body slept. “She was so kind to me.”  
  
“She has a big heart too; she couldn’t see you hurting so much without giving you every comfort. She did the same for her sister when Santos was killed.”  
  
“I never felt so alone, sitting on those steps, my life in tatters. Until she came to me, Rosa. And although my heart was breaking for Molly, as soon as she took me into her arms I knew I was going to be ok because my best friend was there for me.”  
  
They were suddenly inside the apartment just days after Daniel had come back from Tibet. He was angry, having just placed the pot plant he was about to throw onto the glass surface of the dining table. Betty’s worried face had been enough for him to calm himself momentarily before she’d weighed up the options on who could spend some time with him. In the end she’d taken her phone over to the other side of the room and rung Matt.  
  
Having never been a party to Betty’s conversation it had surprised him that she had been so determined to stay, as he’d pointed out he couldn’t ask her to do it but she’d once again gone against everything that was happening at work in order to help out her friend. He knew that she’d had it tough since she’d started in her new job as a features editor and the dejected look that she had on her face before plastering on that smile and turning to mourning Daniel nearly broke his heart. But she’d stayed with him all night, doing what she could for the UN shoot from the comfort of his living room as she gave Daniel the companionship that he so sorely needed.  
  
His anger had culminated the following day when he’d heard Matt accusing Betty of sleeping with him. Not that he minded that of course, to be in a position to be that close to her was only something he could dream about, but Matt had had no right to say those things to Betty and he had the right to defend her. The room faded into the UN shoot, everything was falling apart, Matt was on the ground, the two Eastern European models were still fighting, the designer had walked off the set and Betty was freaking out. It had taken Wilhelmina to bring everything back down to earth. “You were so angry.” Rosa said.  
  
“I was. Not only for losing my wife but also for the hard time Betty was getting. I hated myself for it too though. It took me a long time to calm down, especially after my He-Man speech.”  
  
“It was honourable what you did.”  
  
“But Betty didn’t like it. It was totally alpha male, I was seizing my territory and Betty along with it. I’d been so conscious of trying not to brandish Betty as ‘Daniel’s girl’ that in the end I just made matters worse. I was looking out for her but managed to step way over the line, even if it was unconsciously done.”  
  
“Like at this moment?” Rosa asked, as he and Betty were seen leaning on the railings of the overpass.  
  
 _“Listen, I think you might have made a mistake,” Daniel began._  
  
 _“What do you mean?” Betty asked._  
  
 _“You decided to help me instead of doing your job; you’re not my assistant anymore.” He looked over to her, “things are changing, for both of us. We have to accept that.” He was stern. She looked away from him; he noticed the fear behind her eyes._  
  
 _“But what if I don’t want them to change,” she asked, her voice more like a whining teenager than the grown up Betty he had come to know and understand._  
  
 _Daniel didn’t understand her question, “why don’t you want them to change? They could get better.”_  
  
 _She looked away again, “I guess.” She managed, “I just don’t wanna lose who I am.”_  
  
 _“Listen to me, you’re not the same person that I met three years ago,” he looked into her eyes, “Betty, you’ve already changed but you’re still you.”_  
  
 _She was uncomfortable with his words, he could tell, “so, how does this work now? You and me?”_  
  
 _Did he really have to spell it out for her? Couldn’t she tell? He raised his eyebrows, “we’re not boss and assistant anymore.”_  
  
 _She shook her head, a somewhat glum expression on her face, “nope!”_  
  
 _His face brightened a little, “we’re friends.”_  
  
 _She smiled, her eyes lighting up, “friends.” His smile widened as he took in her happier demeanour before she turned and leant against the railings. He turned to stand next to her, his arm resting along the back of her shoulders._  
  
“You unconsciously opened the door for something else to happen.” Rosa said.  
  
“Maybe,” Daniel shrugged, “it was a completely innocent act at the time.”  
  
“But you couldn’t let her go, so you defined it as friendship.”  
  
“It was friendship.” He snapped. “I wasn’t ready for anything more at that point. I was still grieving. I just needed to be her friend like she was mine.”  
  
“Like taking her advice on the support group?” Rosa asked, as she watched him nod his head. “Or when you encouraged her with her work after the ‘ten worst jobs in New York’ shoot?”  
  
“Exactly. It wasn’t important how she got the job, just how she did it.”  
  
“So how would you have dealt with this, had you known about it? Especially after Matt left.” They were now stood in the Suarez’s bathroom.  
  
 _“Ugh,” Hilda mumbled as she riffled through the bin picking out the first Be-Shure stick, “negative, this one is negative.” She grinned._  
  
 _Betty screamed, “thank God,” she said as she delved into the bin herself to pull out the other test stick. “And positive,” she shook her head, her forehead creased in concern. “Oh God, I hope it’s not me.”_  
  
Daniel’s eyes widened, he shot a look at Rosa. “Betty thought she was pregnant?”  
  
Rosa nodded, “there had been several incidents that morning that suggested she may have been.” Rosa said, “she didn’t have breakfast because she wasn’t feeling well, Matt had told her she was glowing, she ate your Bagel and a gentleman had offered her his seat at the bus stop telling her that she shouldn’t be standing in her condition.”  
  
“Well, I did wonder why she hadn’t been feeling well.” He looked back to Betty waving the positive stick around in the air. “If only …” He stopped himself, there was no point in thinking how wonderful it would be to find out she was pregnant with his baby.  
  
“What?” Rosa asked, kindly. She watched him shake his head. “She wonders about that too. About having a family. With you.”  
  
“How do you know?”  
  
“I’m her mother, Daniel; I keep an eye on her every day. Watch what she is doing, see what she’s thinking about. You are never very far away from her thoughts.” It made sense, “now watch.”  
  
 _“So you’re saying you want it to be me,” Hilda threw her stick back into the trash._  
  
 _“No, I mean, it’s going to be so much easier for you to tell Archie than for me to tell Matt.”_  
  
 _Hilda crossed her arms over her chest, “not ... really.”_  
  
 _“What do you mean?” Hilda brought her hands together in front of her face, “Hilda? What are you saying?”_  
  
 _“Exactly what you’re thinking.” Betty’s eyes were wide, her eyebrows raised. “Oh my God.” Hilda covered her face._  
  
 _“It’s not Archie’s?” Betty asked incredulously._  
  
 _“Well …”_  
  
 _“Well, who else would it be?”_  
  
 _Hilda was just about to tell Betty when Matt burst into the room, “Sorry, sorry, wasn’t …” He stopped short looking at the stick in Betty’s hand. “Oh my God, are you pregnant?”_  
  
“Well, that’s just typical of a Hartley.” Daniel shouted, knowing all too well what the Hartley men were capable of; his mother’s experiences with the elder Hartley were bad enough to try to stomach let alone any that Betty had experienced with Matt. “He doesn’t deserve to have anything that perfect with Betty.”  
  
Rosa put a hand on his arm. “Would your reaction have been any different?”  
  
“I would’ve been ecstatic.”  
  
“Even at the beginning?”  
  
“Of course, I couldn’t think of anything better than starting a family with Betty.”  
  
“But you’re ready for that. Watch.” Rosa turned back to the bathroom.  
  
 _“Pregnant?” Matt asked in disbelief, “like pregnant, pregnant?”_  
  
 _Hilda was about to say something when Betty cut in, “I don’t know, I’m not sure.” She was still stood with the stick in one hand, the blue trash can in the other._  
  
 _“I’m going to leave you two alone,” Hilda beat a hasty exit, as Matt closed the door behind her._  
  
 _“I might not be,” she chuckle, “see er, Hilda took a test and I took a test and they got mixed up and we don’t know whose is whose,” the shock was growing on Matt’s face with every word that Betty was quickly saying. “But one of us isn’t pregnant and one of us is, we just don’t know which.”_  
  
 _“Woah,” Matt rested his head against the door._  
  
 _“I didn’t mean for this to happen. Things were so good, are so good between us and this is not anything that either one of us should be thinking about. Trust me, I know that!”_  
  
 _“I hope it’s us.” Matt said suddenly, stepping towards her._  
  
 _“What?”_  
  
 _“I kinda want it to be us.” Betty couldn’t take in what he was saying, “I know, I know it isn’t something that we planned and it’s probably ok, ok definitely, definitely it’s not the exact right time but,” Betty was shaking her head, her eyes closed to the possibility. Matt was calmer when he spoke again, “a baby, with you, how could that be bad?” He tried a smile._  
  
 _“Because … just er because.” She was freaked out._  
  
 _“Betty,” he took another step towards her, “listen, I’m the guy that can never pick the right thing for my life. Well, maybe, the right thing finally picked me.”_  
  
 _“Er …”_  
  
 _“Look Betty, whatever problems we have we can work it out.”_  
  
 _“No,” she was adamant, “Matt I don’t want to work it out, I don’t want to have a baby right now. I mean I can’t have a baby at all, I can’t be pregnant right now.”_  
  
 _“Ok, ok, well. Maybe you’re not. I’ll go and pick us up another test.”_  
  
“At least he did the honourable thing, I suppose.” Daniel hung his head sheepishly.  
  
“Don’t be too hard on yourself, Matt isn’t his father. And until he settles down in his own life then he couldn’t be the father that I know you would be. And if the baby had been yours instead of Matt’s …”  
  
“What, Rosa?” Daniel asked.  
  
“I don’t think Betty would’ve been so anxious. I think she wondered if Matt would ever face up to his responsibilities, whereas with you she knew that you would, no matter what.”  
  
“Thank you.” He responded. “So what happened? Obviously Betty wasn’t pregnant?”  
  
“No, it was Hilda. She fell pregnant with Bobby’s child but she miscarried.” His eyebrows knitted, “it was a sad time for them all, but they pulled together as my family only know how to.”  
  
Daniel tried to smile, “yes, they really know how to do that. Even with outsiders like me, they just have a knack of pulling you into their world and giving you the same love.”  
  
Rosa nodded, grinning from ear to ear. “Exactly. It’s what my family do best.” She sighed. “Sadly, we don’t have much time left but I need you to see a few more moments in the last few months before Betty left. I have a sort of montage for you.”  
  
“Ok,” Daniel said sceptically, but took a hold of Rosa’s hand and was quickly transported to the Blobby Awards. “Oh God, why this point, Rosa?”  
  
“Because you need to see all of the possible moments when you fell in love with my daughter.”  
  
“This wasn’t it.”  
  
Rosa turned to him, “but it could’ve been.”  
  
He watched on as he and Betty ran out of the bookshop and onto the street.  
  
 _“Phew, that was close. I really thought I was leaving with burrito on my face,” he laughed, taking her hand once again and strolling down the side walk to a coffee shop on the corner._  
  
 _“Oh, and that would’ve really disfigured you for life.” Betty teased, as they found a booth towards the back of the shop. If anyone had come after them, they were sure they’d be left alone._  
  
 _“Hey, you can’t be too careful, plus what would the lasting effects be on my sanity.”_  
  
 _“I’m sure you’ll cope,” she said before ordering a coffee and a cinnamon Danish, “I hope you’re buying, Mr Intimidated and Threatened.”_  
  
 _He looked up, his hand resting over hers, “I meant everything I said tonight,” he said earnestly._  
  
 _“I know, and you really liked my blog, huh?”_  
  
 _“Yes, it was very good and very inspiring.”_  
  
 _“Don’t you start?”_  
  
 _“What? Why?” He smirked._  
  
 _“Well, the last person I inspired left me.” She answered miserably, “you’re not going to do that as well are you?”_  
  
 _He smiled, “Betty, I’m not going anywhere.” His hand was now on her arm, “not now, not ever.”_  
  
“That could be construed as a moment, right there,” Rosa said.  
  
“I suppose, but that wasn’t it.” He shook his head.  
  
“Ok, how about this one?”  
  
The coffee shop became the lobby in her old apartment block, he watched Betty kissing Zachary Boule before he confronted her at the foot of the stairs.  
  
 _“… I finally agreed to an objective profile, now I discover you’re dating him,” he said sternly._  
  
 _“In my defence,” Betty started, his eyebrows rose as he waited for her to explain, “I have no defence,” she looked away._  
  
 _“I don’t even know what to say to you, you could lose your journalism licence.”_  
  
 _That had her worried, “oh no, my journalism licence?” She watched him smile, “what?” He snickered. “Daniel?” She hit his shoulder._  
  
 _“You are so cute when you’re mortified.”_  
  
The scene stopped playing, “this wasn’t it either. Although I do remember thinking about how lame I must’ve sounded. ‘You are so cute when you’re mortified’? I mean who says that?”  
  
“A man in love, who’s trying to make his feelings known without admitting it to himself or actually saying it to the object of his desire, maybe?”  
  
Daniel grinned, shaking his head, “nice try Rosa. I’m not buying that one just yet.”  
  
“Ok, so how about this time then.”  
  
They were now in the Guggenheim; Daniel was holding the Million Dollar Bra with Betty’s braces attached to it. Her dentist was looking at the mess.  
  
 _“Well the only other choice I have is to remove your braces,” Dr Frankel said._  
  
 _“Now?” Betty asked, “like right now?” She was worried._  
  
 _“Now.” Dr Frankel quantified._  
  
 _“Like in front of everybody?” Betty was beginning to freak out. She looked up to him, as he smiled to her a reassuring smile and put his hand on her shoulder. He didn’t have to say anything as she already knew that he would always be there for her, no matter what. “Do it,” she said resignedly._  
  
 _Dr Frankel put on her specs and with wire cutters in hand she began cutting through the fastenings and removing them. Daniel attempted to look at what was happening over the top of Betty’s head whilst she winced every time she heard the wire being snapped. As the last wire was cut, Daniel was able to draw the bra away, Betty clearly running her tongue over her now newly naked teeth. Betty smiled her brilliant smile, “they’re gone?” She asked her dentist as Daniel moved around the room to face her._  
  
 _“Gone.” Dr Frankel assured her._  
  
 _She looked up to Daniel, “what? Why are you looking at me like that? Is something wrong?” She asked, terrified that she looked even more of a monster than she had before._  
  
 _He was stunned, “no it’s … Betty you look great,” he shook his head and smiled sincerely._  
  
Rosa looked to Daniel; he wasn’t saying a word as he just stared at her beautiful, dazzling smile. “I think we have a winner?”  
  
Daniel drew away from the shadow, turning towards Rosa and smiling. “What?”  
  
“The moment, Daniel, when you knew you loved her?”  
  
He nodded slowly, “well a little before actually, when she was lying on the floor and I was worried that she had concussion from her fall, I didn’t know what I was going to do if she’d been really hurt but with everything that happened that day and later on when I spoke to Amanda about her seeing Tyler, I just knew. It was that day at the Guggenheim that I realised I was in love with Betty.”  
  
“So tell her Daniel. When tonight is over and Christmas Day dawns you get on that phone and you tell her. Promise me?”  
  
“Rosa, what’s happening, where are you going?”  
  
“Promise me.” Her voice was distant and he could see his living room opening up below him. “Please Daniel?”  
  
“I promise.” He shouted out as his feet hit with the carpeted floor, “I promise.” He said, his head in his hands as he thought about how much of a coward he had been.  
  
“You made a promise to me to, not so long ago.” Daniel turned on the spot, “you promised that you would never ever forget me.”  
  
“Molly? What are you doing here?”  
  
“I’m your ghost of Christmas present, Daniel.”


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
“…It was that day at the Guggenheim that I realised I was in love with Betty.”  
  
“So tell her Daniel. When tonight is over and Christmas Day dawns you get on that phone and you tell her. Promise me?”  
  
“Rosa, what’s happening, where are you going?”  
  
“Promise me.” Her voice was distant and he could see his living room opening up below him. “Please Daniel?”  
  
“I promise.” He shouted out as his feet hit with the carpeted floor, “I promise.” He said, his head in his hands as he thought about how much of a coward he had been.  
  
“You made a promise to me too, not so long ago.” Daniel turned on the spot, “you promised that you would never ever forget me.”  
  
“Molly? What are you doing here?”  
  
“I’m your ghost of Christmas present, Daniel.”  
  
“So, you’re to be my next torturer, huh? My dad really has it in for me, doesn’t he?”  
  
She sighed. “Stop making everything about yourself for a change.” Molly’s eyes were wide with anger, “where has the man I fell in love with gone?” She said, a tear rolling down over her pallid cheek. “There was a time when you thought of others before yourself. Admittedly that was all down to Betty but over the past few years, without her influence I might add, you’ve just gone downhill, Daniel; step by lonely step.”  
  
“Ok, I thought we’d established that I’m in love with Betty, I made a promise to Rosa to call her and tell her.”  
  
“Do you think that’s enough, a promise to Betty’s mother? What hope do you have in securing her love for you if you’re a shadow of the man that I knew, let alone the man you became after my passing?”  
  
“So, what?” He shrugged, “you’re going to help me remember the man I was by showing me the man I became? I get it, ok?” He’d reached his tipping point, the anger evident in his voice and his eyes, a cold stare fixed upon his wife’s face. “We don’t have to waste the next hour by going over old ground.”  
  
“But we do Daniel; your anger towards me only proves that we have to.”  
  
He crossed the distance between them, “Molly, I’m angry for lots of reasons.” He was calmer now, “for not being able to take care of you, for not making you have the treatment.”  
  
She placed a finger to his lips in order to silence him. “Daniel, treatment or not I would still be dead.” She rested her hand against his forehead, images of Molly lying in a hospital bed receiving invasive treatments, the sickness she suffered afterwards, the hair loss, the pain of watching her golden locks grow back very slowly into a short bob before she was hit with the news that this time the cancer had not been successfully pushed back into remission.  
  
“How much longer would we have had?” He asked, with sadness in his voice.  
  
“About six months.”  
  
Tears brimmed at his eyelids, “I’d have lost you anyway.”  
  
She leant up placing a kiss to his lips, “yes, we just weren’t meant to be for the long haul.” She brightened a little, “I consider myself to be your stepping stone to a better life.”  
  
“How is this a better life? Without you, I’m no-one.”  
  
“That’s not true, Daniel, you will always be someone to those that love you. In my own small way, I have to thank you, for every day that you showed up at my tree in the garden of remembrance or took out my ashes and held on to me. You have kept your promise to me, you have never forgotten me. I just hoped that one day you would bring someone else with you.”  
  
“Like Betty?” He swallowed at the lump in his throat as she nodded her answer.  
  
“She has been a great comfort to you, I’ve seen her. All those nights she spent with you, her arm around you, holding on so tightly in order that you didn’t share my fate. She’d make sure that you were fed, got you to go to some bereavement groups, she really was your friend through all of this.”  
  
“I ended up getting involved with a cult.” He let out.  
  
“I know, I prayed that you would see what was going on but in the end it was Betty that got you out and made you see sense.”  
  
“I thought I’d see you again, thought I’d be able to hold you and kiss you.”  
  
“Daniel, I’m gone. The next time you’ll see me will be when you pass over too. And I will be your constant companion unless ...”  
  
“Unless?” he said glumly.  
  
“Well, that’s for you to decide. The next few hours will hopefully help with that.” She smiled. “You kissed Betty, you know?”  
  
“When?” He smiled.  
  
“The night you thought you saw me.”  
  
“Yeah, I know. Got her eyebrow or something.”  
  
Molly laughed, “so that’s what she told you, huh?” She smiled, “better kissing Betty than Natalie though, I suppose.”  
  
“I guess. Wait, what are you not telling me?”  
  
“I’m happy that Natalie at least got you to talk to me, that night up on the top of that building after you’d gone swimming with her. But Daniel, what were you thinking?”  
  
“She was a friend.”  
  
“She was using you to get what she wanted. Had Betty not shown up at my place I think you’d be worrying about much more than a simple kiss to say good bye to me with.” She giggled.  
  
“You mean … with Natalie?” He face was incredulous.  
  
“Oh yeah,” she pressed her lips together before rolling her eyes. “But Betty saved the day.”  
  
“I thought I was kissing you, those drugs were powerful.”  
  
“Well, when you get a chance to talk to Betty again, ask her about the kiss. She may have been smaller than me but you did not kiss her eyebrow, or forehead or anything else in that general vicinity.”  
  
His eyes shone, “oh. So I kissed her on the mouth?” He smirked, “no wonder she covered it up.”  
  
“Exactly, a classic Betty technique.” She took his hand, “now we need to get on. So many shadows to show you and so little time.”  
  
“Ok,” he said, “I’m ready.” Their surroundings faded much the same as they had done when he had taken Rosa’s hand for the first time. As the swirling stopped they were standing in the entranceway of Claire’s office.  
  
 _“So what are you going to do now? She’s been gone two months, Daniel. You tell me that you love her and yet you’re adamant that you’re not going to follow her.” Claire was to the point as usual._  
  
 _“I don’t know. My work is here, mom. She is in London. That’s it.”_  
  
“This isn’t technically the present, Molly.”  
  
“No, it’s not. But it’s the moment.”  
  
“What moment?” He asked, his brow furrowed.  
  
“The moment ugly Daniel reared his head.” He looked back at the scene of mother and son about ready to take up arms before quickly looking back at Molly. “Watch, let’s see if we can decide when exactly,” she smiled.  
  
 _“Daniel, you have the world at your feet, you do not need to hide behind your job here at Mode. If it were me I’d be handing the reins over to Wilhelmina and jumping on the next plane out of here.”_  
  
 _“Well you’re not me,” Daniel shouted, “back off.”_  
  
 _Claire sighed, getting up from her seat and moving around her desk to stand in front of him. She placed her hands on his crossed arms and looked into his eyes. “Daniel, for whatever the reason, that girl loves you too. But it is so far ingrained within her that she is as blind to it as you were. She needs something to bring it to the fore. Someone to bring it out of her. She needs you.”_  
  
 _“Look, mom. I don’t know what you’re trying to do here but there is no way that Betty loves me,” he watched his mother’s head drop and shake from side to side. “If she did, she’d have stayed.”_  
  
 _“What for, Daniel?” Claire shouted, “for you to take another four years to pluck up the courage to tell her, by which time she’d be regretting not taking Dunne’s offer and would probably be resenting you as well. Don’t you see what she’s done? She’s played her hand; she’s expecting you to take the next step.”_  
  
 _“How could you know that?”_  
  
 _“Because I’ve done it too.” Claire said, her eyes glazing. “Why do you think I went into ‘therapy’ for a year to have Tyler? I was hoping Cal would see sense, would change his mind but he didn’t. So I told him that I’d had an abortion, had started drinking again and had to go back to rehab. It was the most miserable twelve months of my life. Not only was I alone and pregnant, carrying my child to term and having him completely on my own but I then had to give him up. How on earth do you think I felt? And Betty is the same.”_  
  
 _“Mom, this is different,” he was shaking his head, the memories of finding out Tyler was his half-brother still raw. “Betty is all about her career. That’s all she damn well thinks about. Her move to London wasn’t to call my bluff; it was to make her move up the publishing ladder. Not me, not a possible future for us, but her damned work.”_  
  
“And there we have it.” Molly mused.  
  
“That’s hardly fair. Betty is all about her career.”  
  
“And why not, Daniel? What else does she have? After all, you weren’t there to hold her hand or offer her the support she wanted from you when she needed it the most. She tried so many times to tell you, but she just couldn’t do it. Either you beat her to it when she was just about to tell you with your annoying ‘me first’ attitude, or she tried to pick a moment to see you and you’d have to go out or fudge up your dinner reservation with her. There was always something to stop her.”  
  
“But she could’ve come to me at any time and told me, we’d have talked about it.”  
  
“Would you though?”  
  
“Yes, I mean I’d have been hurt but we could have sorted it out. It’s just I had to find out she was going from a mass email.”  
  
“Which Marc instigated, one last parting gift as he was finally going to be seeing the back of her and he could make his mark on the magazine. He knew what it would do to you both. I just don’t think he realised how far it would push you.”  
  
“What do you mean?”  
  
“Your attitude, Daniel. Quite frankly, it stinks.” She took his hand and the morning’s almost meeting opened up in front of him. “How about this?”  
  
He watched the events of the morning’s meeting unfurl before him, the way he’d spoken to Amanda, her resignation, the photograph of Betty that he couldn’t bring himself to burn, the confrontation with his mother. He watched his mother pick up the gloves and the photograph that he’d carelessly thrown into the trash. “Why did she take them?”  
  
“Why does your mother do anything?” Molly asked him, her mouth smirking as she cocked an eyebrow. She moved her head and hands in a gesture to get him to think about it. “Well?” She smiled.  
  
“Because she loves me?” Daniel asked, his eyes searching Molly’s face for clues.  
  
“Well, yes, of course she does, like any mother loves her children. But that’s not quite what I was getting at. Think about it Daniel, she’s picked up a picture of Betty that you just didn’t have the nerve to burn and a pair of gloves that Betty gave you as a gift.”  
  
He thought about it for a little while. “I’m sorry Molly; I just don’t get the connection.”  
  
“Daniel, she doesn’t want you to lose Betty completely, after all she isn’t dead.” He winced at Molly’s remark. “But as far as she’s concerned you’re losing it, big time. So your throwing away those items is like another nail in the coffin to her. She doesn’t want you to have any regrets, so she’s keeping those things just in case you didn’t really mean to throw them away.”  
  
“I don’t have any regrets!” He shot out mercilessly.  
  
“Really?” Molly stood her ground, her hands on her hips. “That isn’t the impression you gave Rosa.”  
  
He let out a breath, “ok, so I regret walking away from Betty when I signed her release, I regret not answering her telephone calls and emails and texts, and I …” He dropped his gaze to the floor.  
  
“Yes?” Molly’s voice was soft but encouraging, her hands resting delicately on his shoulders.  
  
Moist eyes sought out hers, “I regret watching from the sidelines, whilst she danced with Amanda and Marc, when in fact I should’ve been the one dancing with her, talking to her, encouraging her, telling her that I would visit her. Giving her the opportunity to lead her own life but also some hope of a possible future with me in whatever capacity she needed from me, friend or lover.”  
  
Molly nodded, “you know you can still have that.” Her hand touched his and once the office had faded away they were stood in the hallway of the Meade mansion. “We are now caught up, Daniel. The shadows you will now watch are from earlier on this evening, just about the same time as you were getting numbers from girls and trying to score with that prostitute.”  
  
“In my defence, I didn’t know she was a hooker until I was confronted by her pimp.”  
  
“Daniel, it was the fact you were attempting to go back to your old ways that would really shock everyone. What would your mother say? Or Alexis? They were both so proud of you when you stopped sleeping around with just any woman that had a pulse. And what would Betty think if she knew?”  
  
“She’s in London! Jeez, will you give me a break?” The scene panned around. He saw his mother standing in front of a towering spruce pine, admiring the decorations that he recognized. Gone were the trains and the sparkling crystals, instead there were glittering homemade decorations, Hilda’s baby ornament, the stockings with everyone’s name on them, including his own.  
  
 _“Justin, you are a marvel. Hilda, you must be so proud of him.”_  
  
 _Hilda nodded, mussing up Justin’s hair, “I am Mrs Meade, he never stops amazing me.”_  
  
 _“Nor me,” Ignacio added, walking over to Claire with a couple of drinks, “tonic water for the lady.”_  
  
 _“Shame I can’t handle the gin any longer,” Claire deadpanned, as the gathered Suarez’s laughed. “This is so much better than a Christmas where I have little control. I’m glad that Betty came up with the idea of you all coming over and sharing tonight with me so that you’ll all be here to help out tomorrow as a united front against my son. I can see why Daniel got so much pleasure out of spending that time with you all, helping you decorate the tree and feeling part of a family.”_  
  
 _“Let’s just hope this all works then,” Hilda exclaimed, as the doorbell rang, “do you think that’s Betty?” She practically ran for the large double doors and opened up one side. “Oh my God, could you get any more beautiful?” She rushed outside folding her arms around her sister._  
  
Daniel licked his lips in anticipation of seeing Betty. He couldn’t believe she was actually in New York and he was going to see her tomorrow. “Where is she?”  
  
“Patience, Daniel.” Molly sighed. “Not that you haven’t seen her already today.”  
  
“What?” He asked.  
  
“You nearly ran her over on your way to Union Square; she was just coming out of her apartment building.”  
  
“That was her?” He watched Molly nod. If only he’d been watching what he was doing.  
  
 _“Hilda, bring her inside before she catches her death.” Ignacio stepped further towards the door but barely held his spot as his youngest daughter rushed inside, dropped her overnight bag and wrapped her arms around his neck. “What is all this for, you saw me earlier on?”_  
  
 _“For about two seconds when you were having a respite from Elena and I had to go home to pack for tonight.”_  
  
“Oh my God.” Daniel’s mouth dropped open, Hilda was right; she was even more beautiful than when she had left if it was at all possible. He walked closer to her, walking around her and her father, taking in the sight of her. Her glasses were gone, so he assumed that she was now wearing contacts, the dark chocolate of her iris’ sparkling with the delight she obviously felt from seeing her family. Her make-up, although still subtle, highlighted her cheek bones, made her lips look plump and gave her a warm glow that he’d never noticed before. “She’s mesmerizing.” He managed, as he continued his assessment of her, berating himself for missing out on meeting with her earlier on.  
  
 _“Papi, oh I’ve missed you.” Betty stood back, her eyes brimming with tears, her megawatt smile on full blast as Justin hugged her too._  
  
 _Justin held her at arms length, “well, London definitely agrees with you AB, you look incredible.”_  
  
 _“Thank you Justin,” she pulled off her coat and hat, peeling off leather gloves and the scarf that she’d coiled around her neck in order to brace herself against the snowy conditions in New York. “The weather is slightly kinder than here; mostly grey but not as cold.”_  
  
Daniel couldn’t keep his eyes off her. Now that her outerwear had been removed he could appraise the curves that she had seemingly grown into over the time since they’d been apart. She was no longer the girl that hid herself away under layers of clothing until she’d found her confidence; he remembered back to the dress she’d worn the day he’d signed her paperwork. She had started to understand her body then but now, some two years later, she definitely knew what to do to get the best out of it, even in skinny black pants and a long pearl grey, cashmere turtle neck sweater. She had a body that a lot of women would die for and she was sexy as hell. Even the beautiful dark locks of her hair that had been knotted behind her in a simple bun at the base of her neck, each strand glistening in the light as the last snowflakes melted, made him want to reach out and pull her into his arms, just to have her close to him, to fold her into his frame, to see just how well they fit together, before pulling at the simple ribbon and allowing the espresso tresses of her hair to fall down her back, his hands stroking through it as he covered her mouth with his own.  
  
“Earth to Daniel,” Molly laughed before teasing him, “I think it’s a good thing I am dead. I would never have stood a chance once you’d seen little Betty all grown up.”  
  
“Huh?” He asked, somewhat giddy from his daydream. “Molly, I would never have …”  
  
She put her hands up in order to stop him talking. “I know.” She paused, “you would’ve divorced me first.”  
  
“Molly, that isn’t fair.”  
  
“I know that too.” She looked away, “but I think we both know that I could never have competed with Betty in the long run. She is everything to you, Daniel, has everything you need. You’re two halves of the same heart.”  
  
Daniel rushed back to her, his hands on her arms, “look at me.” He said, before gripping more firmly and shaking her. “Molly, I loved you with everything that I had to give you. I never kept anything back from you. You made my heart sing and my palms sweat. I can’t possibly say for sure that had you still lived then I wouldn’t have felt that way about Betty too, but I know I would never have left you.”  
  
“Daniel, I have seen my fate wrapped up in so many different ways. Especially those where I’ve lived for many more years than I actually did, but it always ends up the same, no matter what happens. You always leave me. Betty is too formidable an opponent. She is your best friend, through thick and thin and all it takes, every time, is just one kiss. Whatever the situation, and wherever you are, it’s that first kiss you share that makes you both weak. There is no one for you but her, and no one for her but you. No one can compete on either side.”  
  
“I don’t believe that,” Daniel said, his hands balled into fists at his sides. “I can’t believe I’d hurt you like that.”  
  
“You don’t mean to. It just occurs.” She plastered a smile across her face, “come on, let’s see what happens next.”  
  
 _Claire took Betty’s outdoor clothing away from her before Betty brushed the hair from out of her eyes. “Hi Claire.”_  
  
 _Claire smiled, bringing Betty into her warm embrace. “Hello, darling. How are you?”_  
  
 _“Better for seeing my family here, it was a good idea wasn’t it?” she noticed Claire nodding in agreement before looking over to the tree, “I guess they helped out with the decorating?”_  
  
 _“Justin has been truly wonderful, it’s amazing what you can do with popsicle sticks, glue and glitter. And I love the cranberry and popcorn garlands, absolute genius.”_  
  
 _Betty’s eyebrows rose, leaning forward to sniff Claire’s glass. “Are you sure there’s no liquor in this drink?”_  
  
 _“Nothing other than tonic water, mija. I poured it myself.”_  
  
 _“And what are you on, Papi? I hope that’s not coffee?”_  
  
 _“Betty, please. You’re home one minute and already you’re nagging your Papi?” Ignacio shook his head as he wandered back towards the kitchen._  
  
 _Betty sighed, “I better say I’m sorry. I guess I picked up a little too much English sarcasm and wit whilst I’ve been in London.”_  
  
 _“No, I’ll do it.” Hilda suggested, “come on, Justin. Let’s go and see if we can get grandpa cheered up.”_  
  
 _“Subtle as ever, Hilda!” Betty called out after the retreating form of her sister. “I guess you want to speak to me, Claire?”_  
  
 _“I do.” Claire said, her hand on Betty’s arm as she walked towards the drawing room. Once inside she closed the door behind them before taking a seat on the dark red leather couch in front of the fireplace, the hearth filled with a roaring fire. “Betty, over the years we’ve become solid friends, haven’t we?”_  
  
 _“Yes, of course.” Betty answered._  
  
 _“So, you’d tell me anything?”_  
  
 _“Most things, I guess. I’ve always tried to be totally open with you, especially when you’ve visited and we’ve had those frank discussions about boyfriends.”_  
  
 _“And is there anyone special?”_  
  
 _Betty smiled, taking Claire’s hands in her own. “You already know the answer to that, Claire.”_  
  
 _“Good.” Claire watched Betty’s eyebrows furrow, “I don’t mean ‘good’, for you.” Claire sighed. “There is one question I’ve always wanted to ask you but have been too afraid to ask.”_  
  
 _“Why?”_  
  
 _“Betty, I love you as if you were my own daughter. The things that you’ve done for me and my family have gone far above and beyond, and for that I will always be grateful. But I worry about you, the same as you father and sister do. Hilda is right, you grow more and more beautiful every time I see you, but to what cost? I truly hope that you’re not turning into a workaholic. You’re young, enigmatic, stunning and sexy and I’m sure there must be plenty of men wanting to take you out and romance you?”_  
  
 _“Not really.”_  
  
 _“Oh, I don’t believe that for one second.” Claire shook her head. “There must be someone?”_  
  
 _“No, there isn’t. I’m not interested. I’m here now anyway, there was hardly any point embarking on a long term relationship when I was coming back home.”_  
  
 _“And we have our new venture to think about?”_  
  
 _“Yes.” A lone tear dropped onto their joined hands. “Besides I could never seem to make a friendship work in London, let alone a romantic relationship. I just seemed to spend night after night in my dreary flat, watching TV and contemplating my next move. All alone.  Christina was miles away in Scotland, you were here. I missed my family and I …”_  
  
 _“Yes, Betty?” Claire’s hand cupped Betty’s cheek, “tell me.”_  
  
 _“I missed Daniel, so much.”_  
  
Daniel watched his mother smile.  
  
 _“I know. That was the question I always wanted to ask but was afraid to. Do you have feelings for him?” She watched the younger woman nod her head, “I thought so. Do you love him, Betty, do you love my son?”_  
  
 _“Yes,” Betty cried, “I love him.”_  
  
Daniel struggled to keep upright; he’s knees buckling under him as he heard Betty say those three little words out loud, and to his mother of all people. “I don’t understand.”  
  
Molly knelt down, “what’s not to understand, Daniel? Betty is in love with you.”  
  
How could she possibly be in love with him, they hadn’t seen or spoken to each other in nearly two years and now she was making this astonishing declaration. “But why would she wait until now?”  
  
“Well, let me see,” Molly began, raising a finger each time she ‘marked off a reason’, “you thought that by burning her release it would give her a reason to stay; you said you couldn’t live without her and then made some excuse about the company needing her; your mother indicated to her that losing her was very difficult for you; you let her get on a plane to England without speaking to her or seeing her; she left broken hearted because she wasn’t sure of her feelings for you; she kept herself working over the last few years instead of making friends and perhaps finding someone else she could love because she could never let you go like you did her. Does that about sum it up? You were her constant Daniel and she could never do enough for you. You only had to click your fingers and she was there, by your side, helping you out. You made a massive impression on her, you became the best of friends and then you let her down. But Betty, being Betty, is far too forgiving and instead of becoming bitter and twisted because you never contacted her,” Molly’s fingers dug deep under his collar bone as she pushed him, he winced; “she slowly began to see things from your point of view and started to consider your mother’s words a lot more closely. And what made it worse was that every time your mother went to visit Betty, they always ended up talking about you.”  
  
“Then if I’m so bad, why does she have those particular feelings for me?” He smirked until Molly’s hand grabbed his chin, her fingernails digging into the skin.  
  
“Because you mother, along with Amanda and anyone else she’s been in contact with, has lied to her.”  
  
“Why would they do that?” He asked fearfully, his eyes suddenly becoming wider as Molly forcefully grabbed him and pinned him up against the wall.  
  
“Why do you think?” Molly spat. “They knew that if they told her about the way you have been behaving, she would more than likely drop everything and come back here to help you rather than get on with her own life. She deserves to have something of her own instead of picking up your pieces and dealing with them for you. Everyone has been protecting her.” She let him go, turning her back on him and allowing him to sort himself out.  
  
After straightening out his shirt he walked back over to Molly looking her squarely in the eye. “I guess I do something stupid then?”  
  
She looked at him quizzically, “if you mean that the reason why I am here is to show you how you treat Betty in the future, then yes, you do. Don’t forget though Daniel, these visions of tomorrow and beyond are not yet fixed, they are just the most accurate display of events based on the odds as they were before you seeing your father. These events can still be changed.” She took his hand, Christmas day dawned, and he saw himself splayed out across his bed, sleeping off the hangover that he’d sunk himself into once he’d returned home from the bar.  
  
 _Daniel’s head pounded as the banging on his front door became feverishly insistent. What was going on? “Go away.” He shouted out._  
  
 _“Can’t do that.” He heard Becks shout. “And I’m sure you’d rather it be me kicking your butt than Alexis.”_  
  
 _That would be all he needed. He fell of the bed unceremoniously and crawled the distance to the hallway before edging himself upright against the doorframe. “Shit.” He shouted out as he stubbed his toe trying to open the door, hopping backwards as the door slammed against the wall and Becks stepped inside._  
  
 _“Jesus, Daniel. You sure can’t hold your liquor like you used to.” He said, peering at his friend before making his way past him and towards the kitchen. “I hope you’ve got coffee?”_  
  
 _“Somewhere.” He muttered, before realising that he needed to get to the bathroom quickly and empty the contents of his stomach down the toilet. “Shit.” He exclaimed, as he leant back against the wall, his head in his hands._  
  
 _Becks appeared in the doorway, “shit,” he flushed the toilet. “What were you drinking?” He crouched down, his hands on Daniel’s shoulders as he watched his friend carefully, “and what were you thinking?”_  
  
 _“I don’t know, Becks.” Daniel shook his head. “I just wanted to get rid of her.”_  
  
 _“Who, Betty? You saw her?”_  
  
 _“No, I meant metaphorically. I was trying to block her out of my memories.”_  
  
 _“Hell, Daniel. How many times did you have to watch your mom do that and see that it didn’t work for her either by drinking herself stupid?” Becks sat with his legs crossed on the cool tiles of the bathroom floor. “Look, your mom has really worked hard towards today, she wants everything to be perfect and for everyone that cares about you to be there for you. We’ll help you buddy, ok? But you need to stop with the ‘poor me’s’ and get over yourself. You messed up, you still love her.”_  
  
 _“No, I don’t,” Daniel cut in._  
  
 _Becks smiled. “You don’t have to believe it but you do. No amount of denying it is going to take the truth away, Daniel. You love her and you want her. You still have a chance to make things better.”_  
  
 _“How?”_  
  
 _“She’s here, in New York. You have a shot at getting her back.”_  
  
 _“I do?” Daniel grinned._  
  
 _“You do. Now, I’m going to fix you some breakfast and lots of coffee and you’re going to get cleaned up and find something to wear. Then I’m going to take you over to Claire’s for dinner. Ok?”_  
  
 _“Ok.” Daniel said, starting the shower and stripping himself of his underwear. This would be his one and only chance so he needed to get things straight. He dressed in dark denim jeans and a black shirt, a thick v-neck pullover completing the look before he walked back out into the living area. “Do I pass muster?” He said._  
  
 _“Well, you certainly smell better.” Becks smirked. “You’ll do. Here get this down you.”_  
  
 _He sat at the breakfast bar, making a start on the large mug of coffee Becks had poured for him. He made a face as it was so strong but it made him think more clearly, so it had to be good. He made a start on the breakfast but found he didn’t have the stomach for it. “What time is it?”_  
  
 _“Four thirty.”_  
  
 _“Shit. I was meant to be there for midday.”_  
  
 _“You’ve been given a reprieve as long as you at least make it tonight. And you need an overnight bag.”_  
  
Daniel watched on as he and Molly were transported to the mansion’s summer house. Soft Christmas music was playing; nutmeg, cinnamon, orange and cranberry scents filled the air from the candles that glowed from within their holders. Poinsettia’s, Christmas Cacti and roses had been placed around the room in a vain effort to make it more festive but nothing held his attention more than the fact that the vision of himself was sat next to the woman that he thought he may never have the chance to see again.  
  
 _Daniel took Betty’s hand in his, his fingers caressing the delicate surface of her skin, his mouth meeting the back of it once he’d brought it to his lips, his eyes never leaving hers. He noticed her blush; her eyes breaking contact with his momentarily as she turned to look at her glass, sitting on the edge of the table next to the loveseat. “Betty?”_  
  
 _She turned back, her breath hitching in her throat as she watched his silent appraisal of her. They were no longer friends but were now on the cusp of something greater, something special and romantic. Her other hand found his cheek and gently caressed the stubble with her fingertips that she could just feel making an appearance, her tongue skimming over her dry lips as she gulped back the lump in her throat._  
  
 _He could no longer help himself, his hand now letting hers go as he found his way to the nape of her neck , her hands now resting on his chest as he pulled her closer to him, his nose resting against hers, his mouth merely millimetres away from hers. “Betty?” He whispered._  
  
 _She smiled, her eyes closing in anticipation for his kiss, which came suddenly and passionately. “I’ve wanted this for so long,” he said quickly before returning to plunder her mouth, his tongue duelling with hers as the headiness of their kiss almost took the life from them both._  
  
 _As they broke apart, they were panting. “Daniel, please don’t let me go again.”_  
  
 _“I won’t,” he promised her, scooping her up into his arms and walking her into the bedroom. He kicked the door to before placing her gently on the counterpane. Not for one second did he take his eyes from her, watching her as closely as she was watching him._  
  
 _Before long another exhilarating kiss had sent them into overdrive, each helping to shed the other of their clothing, both anxious to unite and be as one as they made love for the first time. It was over quickly but their overture lasted the rest of the night as they took their time in exploration of each other and sheer joy at finally being together. And as the morning awoke on the day after Christmas, they lay wrapped up in each other, talking and kissing, watching the sun bathe the winter landscape in its golden glow; each secretly hoping that they could stay like that forever, neither wanting to leave and break the spell, not even for the briefest of moments._  
  
“It’s so sad this has to end.” Molly remarked, her voice cracking.”  
  
Daniel’s brows furrowed, “How could this possibly end?” Molly took his hand and the summer house once again became his office. “What are we doing back here?”  
  
 _“I said no. There is no way I’m ever going to compromise on this one Wilhelmina. She has to go.”_  
  
 _“She’s the best features editor we have!”_  
  
 _“And not so long ago it would’ve been you saying that she had to go. Since you and Connor have been living in each other’s pockets, it’s like you’ve had you’re head in a puddle or something.”_  
  
 _“It’s hardly a sacking offence, Daniel?”_  
  
 _“Knock, knock.” Betty popped her head around the door, “am I ok to take my boyfriend to lunch?”_  
  
 _“Yes, come in Betty. This meeting is over.” Willi headed for the door, “perhaps you can make him see reason. It’s only post it notes, Daniel.”_  
  
 _“Only post-it notes, this week. And what next?” Betty gave Daniel a quizzical look as he continued on his rant, “a ream of paper, a laptop, the Meade fortune?”_  
  
 _Betty shut the door, before walking over to Daniel. “What’s wrong, honey?”_  
  
 _“I just can’t stand it when people take us for granted.”_  
  
 _“Who?” She asked, following him over to where he now stood by the window. She snaked her hands around his waist from behind, her head resting against his back._  
  
 _“Cindy Taylor.”_  
  
 _“The features editor? What did she do? Take some post-it notes home?”_  
  
 _“Yeah.”_  
  
 _“Daniel,” she walked around him to stand in front of him, his angry eyes still picking out familiar points in the city’s skyline. “It’s just some stationery. I used to take stuff home all of the time seeing as I used to work at home. What’s so different here?”_  
  
 _“It’s the principal of the thing Betty. And seeing as I’m now joint CEO with my mom, I need to make sure that no-one thinks they can get away with stuff like that, no matter how small.”_  
  
 _“But you want to fire her for that? That’s a bit petty, Daniel. Surely you can think of some other kind of punishment than that. She’ll be snapped up by Vogue or Elle if you let her go.”_  
  
 _“Let them, they can deal with her thieving from now on instead of me.” Daniel sneered. “And whilst we’re on the subject,” he looked down at Betty. “We can’t finance your magazine.”_  
  
“No, no, no, no, no, no, no.” Daniel looked over the Molly. “What am I doing?”  
  
“What you always do, Daniel, since you lost Betty anyway. You’ve become ugly.” She turned her head back as the scene started playing again.  
  
 _Betty shook her head, “what do you mean? Claire and I discussed everything before I came back home from London. Daniel she said that you had more than enough money to help me get started.”_  
  
 _“I don’t know where she got that idea from but we haven’t. And there is no way that I’m going to put my money on the line for some hack magazine that no-one this side of the Atlantic will want to read.”_  
  
 _She pulled away from him, backed up around the desk in order to distance herself. “Hack magazine?” She whimpered._  
  
 _“Betty, don’t try the waterworks on with me, this is business. My dad would never have agreed to this so what makes you think I should?”_  
  
“My dad? What the hell? I’ve turned into my dad?” He watched Molly shrug, “and I’m going to lose Betty again.” Daniel started shaking, his fists clenching as he continued to watch.  
  
 _“Well, I had hoped that you didn’t see me as some kind of Sophia Reyes character. I thought you liked my work?”_  
  
 _“I did,” he picked up a copy of the London Enquirer, “but this is pap.”_  
  
 _“I was appealing to a different audience, and a British audience at that, I might add.” A lone tear escaped over her cheek. “What happened to you Daniel? Where has the man I fell in love with gone too? You would never have spoken to me like this a couple of years ago.”_  
  
 _“A lot of water has passed under that bridge.”_  
  
“No, Daniel, don’t do this,” Daniel wandered over to his other self, wanting to grab hold of himself and shake him violently but he couldn’t take a hold of himself, his hands went straight through the vision as if it was mist. He turned to see Betty’s face, her hands clenched over her mouth as the tears ran down over her cheeks.  
  
 _“Yeah, you’re right. I thought that I could just forgive and forget what everyone had told me about you. And I also thought that I could marry you. That we could make each other happy but we can’t. I can’t stand aside and watch you do this to yourself.”_  
  
 _“Betty, if this is about your magazine? I mean, why wouldn’t it be? You’re all about your career and work anyway, aren’t you?”_  
  
 _She shook her head, “this has nothing to do with work. This is to do with you and me and how much I love you. And I can’t bear to be near you.”_  
  
 _Daniel rushed around the desk, his hands on her arms holding her fast, “you can’t leave. You need me. We’ll rethink the concept, and then maybe we can talk about the budget.”_  
  
 _“I don’t need your money.” She shook him off as she shouted at him, turning on her heal and heading for the door. She opened it, allowing it to bang against the wall before turning back to him, “all I ever wanted was you.” And then she was gone._  
  
“Betty, don’t leave me again.” Daniel held his hand over his heart, before turning back to himself. “Go after her, you fool. Don’t let her go again.” But his other self just stood there looking at the open doorway before taking his seat back at his desk and picking up his work from where he’d left off. “I’m an idiot.”  
  
He felt Molly’s hand on his shoulder, “this is only a vision, Daniel. This doesn’t have to happen. It all depends on you.”  
  
He placed a hand over hers and pulled it against his cheek, his face still bewildered, “I can change this?”  
  
“Yes.” She nodded, as once again he felt the sensation of falling back to earth. “It’s not too late to change anything that hasn’t already happened. You just have to believe in yourself and make it happen.” Her voice was almost a whisper.  
  
“Thank you, Molly,” he said to the void above him as he sat on the couch in his living room and eyed the clock. It was nearly three and the final of the three ghosts was due any minute. He closed his eyes as fatigue took over, wishing that he had been subjected to enough and he could sleep peacefully for a few hours before having to go to his mother’s.  
  
He sighed, “come on then? Where are you ghost of Christmas yet to come? I could really do with getting this over with.”  
  
“Look what we have here? The Editor in Chief of Mode and heir apparent of Meade, now that your sister has moved to France anyway. Can’t say I approve of all of your changes to my magazine, Daniel, but I’m glad that Willi didn’t get overall control, she just didn’t deserve it after everything that happened with Bradford.”  
  
He looked across to the woman in black, her white hair as smooth a sheet of glass and dark glasses covering half of her face. “Fey Sommers. Thanks Dad.”


	5. Chapter 5

Daniel sighed, “come on then? Where are you ghost of Christmas yet to come? I could really do with getting this over with.”  
  
“Look what we have here? The Editor in Chief of Mode and heir apparent of Meade, now that your sister has moved to France anyway. Can’t say I approve of all of your changes to my magazine, Daniel, but I’m glad that Willi didn’t get overall control, she just didn’t deserve it after everything that happened with Bradford.”  
  
He looked across to the woman in black, her white hair as smooth as a sheet of glass and dark glasses covering half of her face. “Fey Sommers. Thanks Dad.”  
  
“Well, good morning to you too.” Fey sneered.  
  
“Forgive me, Fey, but I hardly see what business you have in telling me something I already know.”  
  
“I’m not here to tell you the same thing Betty’s mom and your wife already did. I’m here to show you what you’re destined for so long as you carry on the same path as me and Bradford.”  
  
“Loneliness, heartbreak, a cold bed. I get the picture.”  
  
Fey smiled, “I never imagined you could learn that quickly, seeing as it took you so long to get your degree.” She watched Daniel roll his eyes, “this is about something far more precious than your Latina BFF. This is about your legacy, the imprint that you leave on this world. Mine will forever be as Bradford’s whore. Bradford’s will always be the father that cared more about his business than his family or his mistress. Yours will be similar if you don’t do something about it.”  
  
“What are you going to show me?” He spat, “a loveless marriage, kids that don’t respect me? What, Fey?”  
  
She grabbed his hand, the real world zipping away from them a lot faster than on any previous journey, Fey’s expression sinister. “This is what you get, Daniel!” As she let go of his hand he plummeted towards the earth, the sickening realisation that if he was still in reality then certain death would soon be upon him. He landed in a heap by a large group of mourners, looking up to the headstone that had already been positioned by the gaping hole of a grave, the words ringing loud and clear as he read them out. “In loving memory of Ignacio Suarez, who died peacefully on the 22nd October 2020. Loving husband, father and grandfather to Rosa, Elena, Hilda, Beatriz, Justin, Adrianna and Daniela.” He stood up, “eight years. He got another eight years.”  
  
Turning on the spot, Daniel sought out the family. There was Justin stood between Marc and Amanda, a young girl of about ten stood in front of him, his hands clenching her arms. With her colouring and features, she had to be Justin’s little sister. Then there was Hilda, sobbing her heart out and being comforted by a teary Bobby as well as Elena. Somewhere she was there, he felt it, she was close by, and as Hilda took a seat he saw her. Still as beautiful as she ever was, as if no time had passed at all. She sat next to her sister, quietly rocking a child in her arms, kissing her hairline as she smoothed the bangs away from the young girls face. Betty began whispering to the girl and before too long the girl was twisting around in her seat. “That’s Daniela,” Fey taunted as soon as she appeared by his side. “Notice anything strange about her?”  
  
Daniel looked at Fey quickly, “no, I …” he said quietly, before crossing the short distance and crouching down in front of the girl. The girl’s eyes never left his the whole time, seemingly watching him as he leant closer to her. She smiled for him, then took off the dark glasses that she had been wearing. He fell backwards, “she’s … she’s …”  
  
“Yes?” Fey asked, her face so close to his he nearly wrenched from the proximity.  
  
He shook his head, his brows furrowed, “she’s …” But his concentration was pulled to a conversation he could overhear.  
  
 _“But its Betty I feel sorry for. Two deaths in two weeks, I just don’t know how she’ll cope.”_  
  
 _“She’s strong, that one. Nothing has ever phased her. I mean, look at how her sister struggled bringing up Justin, but when Betty found out she was going to have Daniela she just kept on going, having the baby alone, bringing Daniela up by herself in London and then California.”_  
  
 _“You’re right, but two deaths so close together, and both people she cared a great deal about, it’s got to hurt.”_  
  
He focused on his mom making her way to the front of the seating and sitting next to Betty, an arm gently draped around Betty’s shoulders drawing her into his mom’s embrace.  
  
 _“Betty, I’m so sorry.”_  
  
 _“It’s ok, Claire. It wasn’t unexpected. Papi’s heart never really healed the last time he had an attack.”_  
  
 _Claire smiled, “always the rod.” She let out the breath that she had been holding, “may I make a suggestion?”_  
  
 _Betty looked across to the older woman, “of course?”_  
  
 _“Move back to New York. Share that God awful mansion with me, let me help you bring up my granddaughter.”_  
  
“She’s mine?” He whispered. “Do I know about my daughter?”  
  
Fey’s stern mouth had set at an uncomfortable angle, “just watch, Daniel.” He turned his attention back to his mother and Betty.  
  
 _“I can’t. My home isn’t here. Daniela’s school and friends are out west, along with my work.”_  
  
 _“For which there are several interested buyers who would pay you handsomely to take that magazine of yours off your hands. You would be an extremely wealthy woman and Daniela’s young enough to be resettled here, where she can be with her growing family and make more friends. Not forgetting that you need your family around you too.”_  
  
 _Betty shook her head, “I don’t know?”_  
  
 _A flash of hurt passed over his mother’s features but they softened once more when Daniela took one of Claire’s hands. “It’s not like you’d have to see that God forsaken son of mine again.”_  
  
 _“But there are reminders of him everywhere.”_  
  
 _“Betty, Daniela is a constant reminder. You only have to look at her face to see his eyes staring back at you.”_  
  
 _Betty had tears in her eyes as she tried to control her emotions. “I know, but surrounding myself in his old life is not going to help me one bit. I still love him, despite everything.”_  
  
 _“Well, he never deserved that.” Claire shook her head, “not once he’d decided against you and your magazine. If only he’d taken the chance with you.”_  
  
 _Betty just nodded, pulling a small handkerchief from her clutch purse and dabbing at her eyes. “But he didn’t, and now it no longer matters. Half of my heart is missing, broken away after losing Daniel and now Papi.”_  
  
 _“And what about Matt?”_  
  
 _“What about him?” Betty stared at a patch of tufted grass that sat between her and Daniel’s feet. “He was the one that ran off to Africa, then decided to come back and claim me before realising that his heart was definitely not here but back in Botswana.”_  
  
 _“His death must have been a shock?” Claire’s hand rested on Betty’s shoulder._  
  
 _Sighing, Betty’s stance softened. “It was tragic, his wife and child were devastated. To think that life can be taken so quickly and easily. I haven’t slept well since his funeral, but that might have more to do with Victoria Hartley accusing me of sending him to an early grave than his actual passing. At least I’ve been kept busy over the last two weeks, looking out for Stephanie, helping with the baby and then,” she sniffed, a tear slowly trickling over her pallid cheek, “Papi!”_  
  
Daniel crept forward, all he wanted to do was will his older self to turn up and take her in his arms, tell her how stupid he had been letting her go, apologise for not being around to help out with Daniela. He reached out a hand to brush away the tear that sat on her cheek but, as before, his hand sunk into her face. What he wouldn’t give for her to be flesh and bone right now, he’d have done anything to help heal her pain. “At least, I’m not the second death.” He said quietly.  
  
“But you might as well be,” Fey acknowledged. “You’ve been dead to your mother and Betty for so long now that they even believe it’s true.”  
  
“What did I do to make them feel that way, Fey? What would make them think that?”  
  
“I’ll show you, but I don’t think you’re going to like it.” Fey took his hand and they arrived at Bradford’s old office. The roaring fire in the hearth still existed but everything else had changed. Gone were the imposing leather couch and dark wood fixtures, everything was now bright and airy as if it had had a woman’s touch laid upon it. He walked into the space taking in the captivating view from the windows where azure chiffon drapes hung open. An oversized taupe needle cord couch sat in front of the fireplace, the glass topped desk, which was longer than the couch, sat in the usual spot but was now adorned with picture frames and trinkets. More framed photo’s adorned the walls. There were some of him and Alex playing at the beach, some of them as grown men, even the odd one of himself with Alexis or their mother. There were countless photographs of DJ at varying stages of his life, as well as family portraits from Christmases gone by. But the one that startled him the most was the one that sat closest to the owner of this room, a silver framed photograph of DJ and Betty sat next to one another with a two or three year old Daniela sat between them.  “DJ’s at UCLA, in fact he lives with Betty. Alexis visits as often as she can.” Fey said, but Daniel’s eyes never left the picture long enough to seek an explanation.  
  
“Does everyone know but me?” He asked, somewhat sombrely.  
  
“Pretty much,” Fey answered, “but what did you really expect?”  
  
“I pushed her away and let her go? I never followed her?”  
  
Fey shook her head. “Daniel, you’ve never been one to show your emotions easily.”  
  
“Growing up with an alcoholic mother who was always in rehab because of a father who couldn’t keep it in his pants will do that to someone. Not only that, but I’ve been screwed over by two women I thought I loved and left alone by the third one because she died. But not Betty,” he shook his head, his eyes glassy. “She was always the dependable one. I can’t believe that she hid my daughter from me.”  
  
“She didn’t want to.”  
  
Daniel caught her gaze, “what do you mean?”  
  
“Betty was going to tell you but your mother and Alexis had other ideas.”  
  
 _Alexis strolled into the room, her assistant Connie following close behind. She turned on her white Louboutin heels, a hand on her hip. “Tell me again what he said?”_  
  
 _“Daniel wanted to know if you could wire him another twenty thousand dollars.”_  
  
 _“So that he can give it to that crackpot inventor or gamble and squander it like he did before, I don’t think so.”_  
  
 _Connie sighed, “he sounded desperate.”_  
  
 _“Well he knows where we all are. But he’ll not be back in a hurry. Not after what he nearly did to the company. Investing in risky markets and syphoning off the profits just so that he could pay that conman Warren. You’d think he’d have learnt his lesson after Owens stole the company’s money last time.”_  
  
 _“He said he wanted to come home.” Connie began._  
  
 _“Then I’ll buy him a plane ticket, but that’s all he’s getting from me or mom.” She moved around her desk and took her seat. “Which line is he on?”_  
  
 _“Two,” Connie said, placing the bone china tea cup and saucer on the desk in front of Alexis before retreating to her own desk outside._  
  
 _Alexis watched the door close completely before picking up the phone. “Hello Daniel, this is a wonderful surprise?” She smiled as Daniel began his pitch on the other end of the line. “Ok, so what you’re essentially telling me is that you’ve found someone who can improve on the latest technology in order for us to be the forerunner in the field of the digital newsstand? We’ve had that for the last five years. What do you really need twenty thou for? Prostitutes? Gambling debts? Drugs?”_  
  
 _She drummed her brightly painted nails on the desktop whilst she was listening to his excuses. “I’ll tell you what, turn up at Heathrow before two tomorrow afternoon. There’ll be a ticket waiting for you. Get on the next flight home and when you arrive, I’ll escort you to the best rehab clinic in the state and check you in myself. Mom and me need you home and drug free. There’ll be an extra special surprise for you too, when you get out.”_  
  
 _Pouting, she momentarily looked at the receiver before putting it back against her ear. “That’s the point of it being called a surprise. It’s a good one too, Daniel. Something you’ll wish you had in your life sooner!”_  
  
 _She got up and walked over to the picture window, looking out over the city. “Besides, we could do with you back here. We’ve had a change of heart and Hudson will be looking for a new EIC in a few months’ time. You’d be perfect for the job … well, we weren’t happy about it, but you’re still a Meade, Daniel and although you really messed up we still love you. What’s the address so that I can arrange a taxi for you?”_  
  
 _Sprinting back to her desk, her six inch heels clicking against the floor was the only distraction. Then her head went up, her eyes fixed in a point and she stood rigid. “Daniel? Are you ok? What the …? She began tapping in the familiar number to her mother’s phone. “Mom, Daniel’s in trouble. If you can hold the fort I’ll go to London and bring him home.”_  
  
 _She sat on the arm of the sofa, “I don’t know, all I could hear was banging and shouting on the other end of line. I’ll get Connie to speak to the crew so that I can just get on the jet and get over there. I’m gonna talk to Becks, seeing as he’s the only the one that knows where Daniel’s been living and keeping an eye on him. I just hope we’re not too late. I’ll keep you posted though and try not to worry.”_  
  
 _Walking out of the office she put a note down in front of Connie and smiled at her whilst she continued to listen to Claire. “Ok, sure. But don’t be alone. Ask Betty and Daniela over to keep you company. And for God’s sake tell her … tell her everything.” With that she ended the call, “you ok to do that Connie?” She watched the young woman nod solemnly, “thanks. Mom will be looking after things for a few days but give me a call if you need to, ok?”_  
  
 _“Yes, Alexis, of course.”_  
  
 _“Good,” she ran down the corridor, struggling to get into her coat, before making it to the waiting elevator._  
  
“So what’s going on? Am I partying again?”  
  
Fey shrugged noncommittally, “kind of!”  She grabbed his hand harshly before the office faded and a dark corridor appeared in its place. The dark grey walls were littered with graffiti, the floorboards were bare and the whole place was drafty.  A few chinks of light spotlighted the floors, walls and ceiling, moving slowly as the scraps of curtains gently swayed from the breeze that was coming in through the windows. As they stepped through the hall, Daniel noticed that there was hardly a clear path that they were walking. There was rubble, torn wallpaper, food wrappers, beer cans and glass. He heard something shatter underfoot and looked down, a syringe.  
  
As they walked into a dank, dark room that’s only piece of furniture was an old mattress on the floor, Daniel noticed a male lying across the heavily stained fabric. “You found your drug of choice after Betty left you.”  
  
If this was real, he’d wretch, but he realised that he wasn’t being subjected to the true stench of the vision in front of him. He stepped closer, peering at the gaunt face of his older self, the hollow cheeks, the yellowing teeth, and the sallow skin. His hair was unkempt and there were hole’s in his clothing. “Heroin?” He looked back to Fey, “I’ve never touched anything in my life.”  
  
“It only takes one hit, they say, helps you come down off a high.”  
  
“I was taking cocaine?” Fey pursed her lips and nodded. “Why would I do that?”  
  
“Why do any of us do anything? Why did I fall in love with a married man? A man who constantly lied to me, he was going to leave Claire after every time we made love but he never did.” She threw her head back and laughed, “you lost your constant, you had to find another, partying lost some of the lustre it had before so you partied harder. And the sex was mind blowing but then one night you were buzzing a bit too much and you were given a fix.” She watched a myriad of emotions cross his face, “now do you see why I got the graveyard shift after the other two. I’m the only one jaded enough to keep my emotions in check.”  
  
Looking back at this shadow of himself, he realised that the figure hadn’t moved. He looked back at his face, at the lifeless eyes that were staring at no-one in particular. “Oh my God.” He got up and ran around the rooms of the squat, unsure of what to do or what he was looking for before returning back to Fey, “I’m dead.” He shouted at her, squeezing her arms and shaking her. “How the hell did that happen?”  
  
They heard banging at the front door, then a crash before thundering steps made it up the stairs. A few doors were opened before the one to the room in which they were stood was yanked open and Becks ran into the room, his arm covering his mouth in a vain effort to keep the stench from making him sick.  
  
 _“Jesus, Daniel. What in God’s name have you done to yourself?” He knelt down by his friend, an ear to Daniel’s mouth, a hand on Daniel’s wrist feeling for a pulse. He picked him up, the lightweight body easily transportable over a shoulder as he burst back through the house and out onto the street, hailing a taxi as he did so._  
  
Daniel and Fey sat in silence in the back of the taxi, watching Becks as he kept an eye on his friend whilst finding out which hospital he was being taken to and ringing ahead to let them know that they would be there soon. As soon as he walked into the emergency room, there was a gurney waiting for them, Becks was helped to get Daniel comfortable before Daniel was wheeled away, down the long corridor and Becks was left seemingly on his own.  
  
 _“Alexis, its Becks. As soon as you get this message, get the cab to bring you to St Thomas’ A &E. I’m in the waiting room by the reception desk. I’ve just brought Daniel in, he looks like shit and his breathing is really shallow. I’m waiting for the doctors to take a look at him and let me know what’s what. Hopefully, I’ll have some news by the time you get here.”_  
  
“I need to see what’s going on?” Daniel got up and started walking towards where the bed had been taken.  
  
A hand grabbed his shoulder, “do you think that’s wise?”  
  
He turned to Fey, “I have to know my fate, if I choose to walk this path of self-destruction. Wouldn’t you have wanted to know the consequences of giving my mom poisoned perfume if you had been given an opportunity like this?”  
  
For the first time ever, Fey smiled, a genuine, all encompassing, Betty like smile. “Yes, I suppose I would. I obviously didn’t have anyone who loved me enough to do this for me though, did I?”  
  
“Maybe not, but I know there’s this beautiful, young woman who loves her mother dearly despite everything.” Daniel said, “Amanda would be so proud of you right now.”  
  
“Well, I’m proud of her too. She should never have given up the styling, she was good at that. Perhaps you could help her when you get back to reality, get her some exposure in Mode, help her with a proper business plan?”  
  
Daniel smiled back, “I’ll do what I can, Fey. I promise you that.”  
  
“Thank you.” Fey began walking up the corridor but Daniel stopped her.  
  
“Do you think I can do this bit alone?”  
  
Fey nodded, “if that’s what you want. Second door on the right.”  
  
“Thanks,” he started up the corridor, he could hear his sister shouting out for Becks behind him as the doors closed and he stood at the foot of his bed, his other self was hooked up to so many machines it was difficult to see what they were all doing apart from keeping him alive and checking his heartbeat. And Becks was right, his shallow breathing was now being assisted and his heart trudged along at a steady but slow pace. Doctors and nurses scurried around him, trying to decide what to do first after checking him over. He heard snatched snippets of conversations, ‘blood pressure is too low’, ‘he’s got three cracked ribs’, ‘a punctured lung’; nothing was being said that gave him much hope.  
  
And that’s when it happened, the slow punctuated beat of his heart monitor was replaced with one long constant beep as he flat-lined. He noted how the action changed from one that was ascertaining what part of his body they were going to deal with first with one that meant they were trying to bring him back to life; from the sudden shout of ‘clear’, the flash of the defibrillator paddles as they were placed firmly on his torso to the way his body jumped after the electrical current passed through him. After the first attempt the sound didn’t change, nor after the second or third. It was the fourth and final attempt that brought him back to life.  
  
But it was short lived. Within just a few minutes his older self was dead once again, the doctors performed manual compressions and breathing but agreed that it was just too dangerous to try defibrillation again as the risks were too high. And Daniel agreed, it wouldn’t be much of a life being looked after by his mom and Alexis, day after day. Having to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair or worse, not being able to move at all, a total loss of independence. If it meant keeping both Betty and Daniela from seeing him like that then he wouldn’t trade his death for anything, sad though it was.  
  
He contemplated how he had become so lost, surely Betty’s leaving wasn’t enough of a trigger on its own? After all, he’d coped when Molly died, eventually. And when DJ was suddenly his nephew rather than his son. He’d even managed to pull back from the devastation of the Sophia Reyes show. Or was there more?  
  
He suddenly realised that through all of that he’d had Betty, she had been his constant. The one thing that had kept him grounded, helped him pick himself back up, brushed him off and got him to a place where he was ready to start again. Yes, everything was all about Betty but not for the reasons that he had determined the day she’d walked away. She hadn’t just come back to further her career, she’d come back for him. “She loves me.” He confirmed quietly, as the flat line suddenly peaked on the heart monitor and older Daniel was breathing again. “I’m ready,” he looked up to the heavens, “Dad, I know what I have to do.”  
  
“And what’s that?” Bradford asked, as Daniel looked around himself, realising that he was now back in his apartment.  
  
“You never left mom because you loved her, but you also nearly destroyed her.” Daniel surmised, “but you were also in love with Fey. I never thought that anyone was able to do that, love two people at the same time?”  
  
“It was tense at times but I did love them both, and for very different reasons.”  
  
“I may have fallen into the same trap, had Molly lived.” Daniel sighed, before looking down at his shoes.  
  
“We all thought it was an odd decision, but you we desperate to start a family and Betty wasn’t ready to commit. Molly was the perfect answer for you at the time.” Bradford suggested.  
  
“Maybe, but I would still have known that it was always Betty that I needed. She’s my oxygen, Dad. Without her, I can’t breathe.”  
  
Bradford nodded, then smiled. “I knew I’d made the right choice, especially when you stopped being so pig headed and realised that Betty was the best person to bring you around and make you into a better person. She’s sad that you seem to have slipped.”  
  
“Well that stops, as of today. No more ‘bah humbugs’.” Daniel smiled.  
  
“That’s good to know.” Bradford said, his hands on his son’s shoulders. “You’ve made me very proud in the past, do you think you could make me proud again?”  
  
“Like taking the company forward instead of squandering it? And listening to mom when she tells me about her and Betty’s new magazine ideas?”  
  
Bradford nodded. “Betty’s magazine isn’t pap!”  
  
“I know, I’ve read every issue.” He laughed, “I can’t believe I would say that to her?”  
  
“Well, the truth may have been embellished a little bit.” Molly said, as she stepped out of the shadows.  
  
“Thanks, so the last bit, the drugs and the obvious beating I’d had.”  
  
Fey stepped forward, “I told you that might have been stretching it.”  
  
“It had the desired effect though.” Bradford argued, stepping closer to her and taking her hand. “I needed to make him understand how bad it could get.”  
  
“Well, if I can’t have a life with Betty then it may as well end like that.”  
  
“I don’t think Betty, or my unborn grandchildren would like to hear that.” Rosa giggled.  
  
Daniel stepped forward to Rosa, “is she really that beautiful, or was that an embellishment too?”  
  
“Does it really matter?” Molly asked, her hand on his shoulder.  
  
“No, I’m just curious.”  
  
Rosa hugged him before whispering, “I think you already know the answer to that one.”  
  
“And I’ll find out in a couple of hours.” He grinned, “thank you. All of you. I never understood how selfish I was becoming but I’m glad you all made me see sense.”  
  
“I think it’s safe to say that we all did this because we love you,” Bradford said.  
  
“Even you, Fey?”  
  
“It’s a toss-up,” Fey acknowledged, “just so long as you help Amanda.”  
  
“Well, I did promise.” Daniel laughed, “I’m going to help make sure she’s the best damn stylist in New York.” He looked around at the assembled ghosts, “thank you for making me see that I was on a path of self destruction and that there is one thing I need more than anything else in this world. I should’ve taken the opportunity to go after her to London and stop wasting so much time but everything happens for a reason, doesn’t it?” He watched as they all nodded and smiled. “I can’t wait to tell Betty how much I’ve missed her and to make …”  
  
Bradford cut him off, “I don’t think we need a play by play, Daniel.”  
  
Daniel shook his head, “if you’d let me finish, I was going to say wife. I want to make her my wife.”  
  
“Well, just be careful,” Molly suggested, “you know how impetuous you can be.”  
  
“And my Betty is somewhat cautious,” Rosa said, “she will need some gentle coaxing. Not only has she heard all of these stories about you so she’s going be seeing you in a whole different light but she hasn’t seen you in nearly two years and is a little unsure of what to expect.”  
  
“Although I have visited with her briefly tonight and let her know what we’re up to.” Bradford sighed, “but Daniel she’s only just admitted her feelings to herself,” Bradford added, “she’s here because things weren’t working out as well as she’d hoped in London and has plans now she’s home. She needs her friends around her, supporting her.”  
  
“Loving her.” Fey said.  
  
“I can do all of that.” Daniel agreed.  
  
“As well as make everything right with everyone else?” Bradford asked.  
  
“Of course, Dad. I’ll speak with Mandy and Tyler first, and then mom. And I’ll sort out everyone else after the holidays. I think I have a lot of apologising to do.”  
  
Bradford took his son into a hug, “I’m proud of you Daniel, I can’t think of anyone else better suited to run Meade publications.” He held Daniel at arm’s length, a smile beaming. “I love you, son.”  
  
Daniel’s eyes were glassy, “I love you too, dad. I miss you.”  
  
He watched as his father, Rosa, Molly and Fey disappeared. “I’ll never be far away.” He heard Bradford say before he was left alone in the living room of his apartment.  
  
“I know,” he said to the ceiling, before making his way back towards his bedroom and turning in. Tomorrow was going to be a long torturous day but he’d fight through it and turn things around. After all, he’d promised to do exactly that and failure just wasn’t an option.


	6. Chapter 6

Daniel awoke as bright and as early as he could’ve hoped. Had he not spent four hours with his father and the other ghosts then maybe he’d have felt a bit chirpier but today was the day he’d promised to start over and he’d do it, even if it damn near killed him.  
  
After showering and dressing in the most comfortable pair of jeans he owned, plus a grey marl t-shirt and a dark plum jumper with a shawl collar, he went out into the living area and looked over the pile of presents that had been left on the dining room table. He took a seat before picking up the first parcel and looking at the card; it was for Amanda and Tyler. Ripping away the paper he looked at the doughnut maker he held in his hands. If he’d known the receptionist was going to make this much of a hash of things, he’d have done it himself.  
  
On second thoughts, no he wouldn’t. There was only one person he had ever trusted to help him pick out gifts and had he had the opportunity, he’d have asked Betty. But before last night he hadn’t even hoped to dream that she would come back to New York. If he was grateful for one thing then it was the knowledge that he knew he’d see her later that day.  
  
As he took another look at the present in his hands, he only hoped that the receipts had been kept, especially as the second present he’d opened was a fondue set for his mom. A great gift for a recovering alcoholic!  
  
“What am I going to do?” He asked no-one in particular, before picking up his phone and dialling the one man who may have been the only person who could help him in such short notice. “Nigel, I need some presents for my family, I’m absolutely desperate. I’ll make it worth your while.”  
  
Just about an hour later he was walking up the steps of the mansion, a duck egg blue bag hanging from each of his hands. He knocked on the door and was greeted by his mother. “Well, this is a surprise Daniel, I wasn’t expecting you until late this afternoon to be honest.”  
  
“I know mom, but I spent some time with …” He stopped short, he couldn’t possibly tell her that he had spoken to his father, not yet anyway. He looked up to his mother who was eyeing him suspiciously, her arms crossed over her chest, a perfectly tweezed eyebrow raised in query. “Let’s just say I had a change of heart. I was able to put a few things into perspective after being balled out by Amanda yesterday and I came up with a different goal than the one I’ve been attempting to succeed with recently.” She stood aside to allow him access into the hallway. “Who’s here?”  
  
Claire quickly closed the heavy door, “aside from myself, Amanda and Tyler, Becks is here and so are Alexis and DJ.”  
  
“Oh,” he sighed, putting the bags down on the hardwood floor before taking off his coat, gloves, hat and scarf.  
  
“You were expecting someone else? I wasn’t aware that you’d invited anyone to our family dinner.”  
  
“No, not personally. I just thought that maybe …” He looked across to his mother, whose expression now was one of sheer amusement. “What?” He asked her.  
  
“Nothing, darling. You just seem a little preoccupied. If I didn’t know any better I’d have thought you’d discovered my little secret.”  
  
“Which is?” He asked mischievously, wondering if her secret and his train of thought were one in the same.  
  
“To be revealed later on this afternoon.” Claire answered. “Daniel, is there something you wish to tell me?”  
  
He hugged his mother before answering. “I suppose I should. You were right, all along. I’m in love with Betty. I have been for some time.”  
  
“Is this all part of the change of heart?” Claire asked, watching Daniel nod his head. “Thank God you’ve finally realised. Honestly, I wondered how dense you actually had to be to not understand your feelings for her.”  
  
“Mom?” Daniel asked.  
  
“I’m sorry darling, but I’d just about had enough of all the scowling and bitterness. I was going to give you until after the holidays and then I was going to intervene somehow.”  
  
“What did you have in mind?” He grinned.  
  
“I was toying with the idea of having you kidnapped and flown to London, so that the two of you could work it out. But then I just wondered if you’d skirt around the issue again and you’d be back here after a couple of weeks with your tail between your legs. So my next idea was to take everything away from you, your job, the loft, everything, so that once you were in London you had nowhere to go but to Betty and beg her forgiveness for being such a moron for the past six years.”  
  
“Hold on, I haven’t been in love with Betty for six years.”  
  
Claire smirked, “don’t underestimate my prowess, Daniel. I have seen the change in you since the first day that Betty, quite literally, crashed into your life. And admittedly the love that you felt for her from the beginning wasn’t what you’d call romantic but there was always something binding the two of you together.” She pulled him into her embrace and kissed him on the cheek, before wiping at the deep burgundy mark she’d left there with a wet thumb. “What are you going to do about it?”  
  
“I don’t know exactly, besides telling her the truth. All of the truth.” His eyes gleamed with his smile, “besides, I think you have the best plan. Mom, you have my permission to commandeer everything that I own and fire me, Betty is too good a person to just leave me on the street to fend for myself so I guess she’d take pity on me and look after me like she always does.”  
  
“Hmm, yes. I always knew that she was too good for you, but you can’t help who you fall in love with.”  
  
“What do you mean, mom?” Daniel asked.  
  
“She loves you too, only it took her moving across an ocean and not seeing you every day for her to finally realise that the one thing that was missing from her life was the thing she needed most.”  
  
He laughed, “so we’re as dense as one another?” He watched his mother grin before hugging her again.  
  
“Now there’s a sound I thought I’d never hear again. Daniel Meade laughing.” Amanda stood in the doorway, her mouth set in a straight line as she watched mother and son hug.  
  
Daniel quickly crossed the hall wanting to take Amanda in his arms and hug the life out of her but her demeanour told him it wasn’t the right time for that, he needed to apologise first. “Amanda, I know you’re mad at me for being such an arse towards you and Tyler.”  
  
“It’s not just Tyler and me, you need to apologise to everyone at the office too.”  
  
His hands circled her shoulders berating himself for the watery eyes he was now staring into. “I know, sweetie, and I’ll get around to that when we’re back at work. But first I need to make it up to my family, starting with my brother and future sister-in-law.” He looked up, noticing that Tyler was stood a little way further down the hall, Daniel cleared his throat. “Amanda, I’m sorry for yesterday, my attitude and anger was uncalled for and I really shouldn’t have expected everyone to run to my beck and call. It was also wrong of me to expect you to jump to my every order, I’m sure even Betty would’ve only been as successful as you were, trying to pull as many into a meeting that wasn’t necessary in the first place.  
  
“Not only that but I’ve been a total disaster since Betty left, and I’ve been a total jerk for as long as that too. When I think back over some of the things I’ve done or said, I realise that I really wasn’t doing myself any favours and I just hope that you can forgive me for being such an idiot. When I needed my friends and family the most, I turned on them, and for that I can only apologise.”  
  
“And give me an awesome present?” The corners of Amanda’s mouth turned up slightly. Behind her Tyler was grinning and shaking his head.  
  
Daniel laughed, “what kind of a friend and brother would I be if I didn’t at least make up for two missed birthdays, two Christmas bonuses and an engagement present?” He delved into the first of the two Tiffany bags pulling out a couple of boxes. “Here, I hope you like them?”  
  
Amanda’s arms found their way around his neck pulling him into a hug, one box in each hand. She kissed his cheek, “hello Daniel, it’s good to have you home.”  
  
“Yeah, welcome back bro,” Tyler slapped Daniel’s shoulder just as he was extricating himself from Amanda’s embrace.  
  
Daniel delved back into the bag, “happy Christmas, Tyler,” he said as he gave him a present, “and congratulations on the forthcoming nuptials.” He added as he handed Tyler another present.  “I’m sure Amanda and you will be very happy.”  
  
“Thanks Daniel,” Tyler said opening up the first of the two boxes and unwrapping a leather wallet. The second held a photograph frame with a picture of the happy couple showing off Amanda’s ring that Daniel had managed to find on his computer. “Look Mandy, don’t we make a cute couple?”  
  
She nodded, tears in her eyes from the platinum and diamond necklace, bracelet and earrings that Daniel had given her. “We do, and now I have the jewellery for the wedding too.” She hugged Daniel again, giggling with joy, “thank you Daniel.”  
  
He held her out in front of him, “that’s not all. I mean, well I hope that you’ll reconsider your resignation. I’m going to raise your salary to one becoming of an EIC’s assistant and I’m going to add a bonus for the last two years hard work. Plus, I want to help you with your styling business.”  
  
“I don’t do that anymore, I wasn’t any good at it.” She said, a slender hand reaching out to take Tyler’s.  
  
“Don’t sell yourself short, Amanda,” Daniel enthused. “You were great and Mode should’ve really done more to help you. Let Mode be your first client, you can help style the main shoots and we’ll pay you the going rate. That should help you get started and as your name will be in the magazine as a contributor you should be able to pick up other clients from that along with any you pick up networking with the magazine. How does that sound?”  
  
Amanda’s eyes were wide as she looked at each member of the family that was stood in the hallway, “you’d help me get my own business going?”  
  
“You’re going to be family soon, Amanda, but that doesn’t mean you need to be tied to Meade. You have a talent, you should use it.”  
  
Amanda ran over to Claire quickly. “Mother Meade, what do you think?”  
  
Claire shook her head slowly, “I don’t exactly know what to think, especially as I’m not quite sure what’s come over my son, but I …” she paused before smiling, “… I like it. And I think it’s a marvellous idea, Amanda. You and Tyler both deserve something of your own and I agree with Daniel, you can out accessorise the best after all. This will be good for you and it will give you independence as well as your own career.”  
  
“Thank you.” Amanda said before hugging her soon to be mother-in-law.  
  
“I also want to help you too, Tyler.” Daniel said, “I think it’s about time mom and I showed you the business, with Alexis’ consent of course.”  
  
“You’ve got that, bro.” Alexis responded, as she also took her place in the hallway. “I think it’s about time he was shown the ropes.”  
  
Daniel grinned, “I know it’s not something you’ve really thought about but you have it in the blood, not only as a Meade but as a Hartley as well. I’d personally undertake your training and I’m hoping that you’ll have an aptitude for figures like Alexis, but I’ll get someone from accounting to go over the basics of the financials so that you can understand that side of it at the board meeting next month, is that ok with you?”  
  
Tyler smiled, “well I can’t model forever. I need to have something to fall back on, the family business is as good as anything else.”  
  
“Great, although bear in mind that if it’s not for you then let us know as soon as possible so that we can help you find something else. After all, you’ll have your own family to look after soon.”  
  
“Thanks Daniel.”  
  
“My pleasure, Tyler.”  
  
Claire couldn’t help but grin, she wasn’t sure what had caused such an abrupt change in her son but it was definitely welcoming. “Come on let’s all go through to the living room.” She ushered everyone through the hallway before walking into the room ahead of the group and taking a seat next to DJ. “Do you think you can stop playing ... whatever that is for a minute DJ? Your uncle Daniel is here.”  
  
DJ dropped the controller mid action, “Daniel is here?” Jumping up he ran towards his uncle and hugged him before stepping back and looking into Daniel’s face. “Is it really you?”  
  
Daniel laughed, his eyes sparkling, “yes, of course it’s me.” He hugged DJ hard, “who else would I be?”  
  
“We haven’t spoken in months and maman said you haven’t been yourself. I wondered if happy Daniel disappeared when Betty left him.”  
  
“He did.” Daniel’s voice was soft, “but now I’m back. I have a story to tell everyone but first some more gifts.” He handed out the boxes that were left for his family before stepping back and enjoying the wonderment in each face. Alexis loved the new reversible tote bag. His mother cried over a new watch. Becks glanced up at Daniel once he’d opened up his box containing a passport holder and luggage tag. “Sorry buddy, that’s all that seemed to fit?”  
  
“No, they’re great Daniel. When did you go shopping exactly?”  
  
“This morning,” he admitted, shrugging his shoulders. “If there’s anything you don’t like we can return it tomorrow and exchange them for something else, or I seem to have a pile of electrical goods on my dining room table that you’re most welcome to.”  
  
“No, they’re great presents Danny. Aren’t they?” Alexis looked around at everyone.  
  
“Well, I love my watch,” Claire said, getting up from her seat and holding out her wrist and the watch silently asking Daniel to put it on for her. “Thank you, darling.”  
  
“I’m glad you like it,” Daniel whispered before closing the clasp and kissing her cheek. “DJ, how about your present?”  
  
DJ sat holding a leather photo album, thumbing slowly through the pages of pictures of the time he had spent in New York, when he still believed Daniel was his father, and a couple of Lucy, his mother, which Daniel had managed to find. Once he’d turned over to the final photo he looked up to Daniel. “There are so many memories here,” he smiled before going back to the book and flicking through the empty pages. “What about the rest of the pages though?”  
  
“They’re for you to fill up with your own memories,” Daniel said, sitting next to DJ. “Perhaps you could put in some of you and maman,” he looked up to his sister for help.  
  
“Or of you on your skateboard at the park. Things you don’t want to forget DJ.”  
  
DJ thought for a minute whilst nodding his head in agreement. “I’ll need to keep a couple of pages free though. One for Uncle Tyler and Aunt Amanda when they get married, and for my new cousins they’ll have eventually.” Laughter sounded around the group as some of them took in Amanda’s astounded face. “And then for you and Betty too.”  
  
Daniel sighed, “hopefully DJ, but you can always buy another album if you fill this one up and I do get to marry Betty.”  
  
“That’s slightly defeatist Daniel?” His mother claimed.  
  
“Well, I haven’t seen her yet and it would be a bit presumptuous to believe that she’ll say yes to my proposal right away.”  
  
“You’re gonna ask her then, Danny?” Alexis grinned.  
  
Daniel picked up the last of the boxes from out of the bags and put them into his trouser pocket. “When we’re both ready, yes.”  
  
A cheer erupted throughout the room and congratulations ensued only to be interrupted by the housekeeper who let them know that dinner was ready and was being served in the dining room. The family filed through and were seated. Daniel looked across to the empty seat opposite him, if only it was filled, if only Betty was sat there with them. “I was surprised that we didn’t have more guests?” He said without thinking.  
  
“I told you before Daniel, there would only be more if you’d invited someone.” Claire said before continuing to eat her soup.  
  
“Unless this has something to do with the story you wanted to tell us all?” Amanda called out.  
  
“Um, well,” Daniel stumbled.  
  
Alexis pounced, “oh right. Yeah, Becks and I were taking bets on when or if you’d arrive and which one of us would have to go downtown to drag your sorry arse out of bed.” She smirked, “so what gives?”  
  
Daniel took a moment to look at each face around the table before setting his spoon down on the soup plate and clearing his throat. “I saw dad last night.”  
  
Claire dropped her spoon, “what do you mean, you saw your father?” She asked with panic in her voice.  
  
“I mean he came to see me, in a Hawaiian shirt and flip flops.” He took his mother’s hand. “At first, I thought it was a scotch manifestation but when the first of the three ghosts arrived …”  
  
“Wait,” Alexis cut in, “three ghosts?”  
  
“Oh my God, Tyler what have you been up to?” Amanda knocked him with her elbow, whilst smiling sweetly at Daniel.  
  
“Nothing, jeez I only mentioned that Daniel was like Scrooge and wouldn’t it be good to hit him with three ghosts so that they could help him with his attitude a little.”  
  
“Well you got your wish,” Daniel said, “but aside from dad the three that came to visit weren’t just any old ghosts. I saw Molly.”  
  
“As your Christmas past?” Amanda asked.  
  
“No, she was Christmas present. Then Fey was my Christmas future.”  
  
“That bitch!” Claire sneered, before quickly dampening down her anger, “I’m sorry Amanda.”  
  
“It’s ok, I didn’t really know her but I know how her screwing around with Bradford affected you all.”  
  
“So who was your Christmas past?” Becks couldn’t help but get the conversation back on track.  
  
“Rosa Suarez,” he looked around at the blank faces around the table, except for his mother’s. She clearly knew who the other woman was. “Betty’s mom.”  
  
“Not many men would come out of meeting the ghost of their future mother-in-law unscathed,” Becks joked before being hit by Alexis. “What?”  
  
“Considering I’d never met her before, she was actually very nice to me. She never mentioned my past, not once and it had no bearing on my relationship with Betty. Rosa just wanted to make sure that I wasn’t going to shirk my feelings any longer, she made me promise to tell Betty how I felt about her. Today actually.”  
  
“Ah, now it makes sense. You were hoping that she was going to be here.” Claire surmised.  
  
“Molly showed me a vision of her being here today, and the rest of her family too. They’d decorated the tree and Ignacio was cooking.”  
  
“She’s with her family this morning. The arrangement was that she would be with us this afternoon.”  
  
“Betty’s in New York?” DJ asked.  
  
Amanda couldn’t hold it in any longer, “she came to see us yesterday. We told her everything about what’s been going on. She knows you’re an arse, Daniel. I mean, was an arse. I’ll have to talk to her when she arrives.”  
  
“No, its fine, Amanda.” Daniel replied, “It’s down to me. I need to sort this mess out myself.” He turned to his mother, “she’s definitely going to be here?”  
  
Claire smiled, “yes, there is something you should know though.” She watched Daniel’s face fall. “I don’t know what you’re thinking but it’s not that bad.”  
  
“She’s not just here for the holidays, is she?” Amanda piped up.  
  
“No, she’s not.”  
  
“The magazine’s folded?” Tyler asked.  
  
“No, the magazine was a resounding success, in fact it took a lot on Mr Dunne’s part to let Betty go at all.” Claire took Daniel’s hand in her own. “This was meant to be a surprise, her coming back to stay. Were you shown anything else?”  
  
“Just a magazine idea that you were going to fund.” Daniel shrugged his shoulders, “is that happening as well?”  
  
“It’s not just another magazine, Daniel. Betty has several ideas for an e-magazine, something that Dunne would never agree to.”  
  
“Is that why she brought it to you?”  
  
“She brought it to me, actually,” Alexis cut in, “made me meet up with this techie called Teri who she had met at some convention in London.”  
  
“Is he the reason she’s back in New York?” Daniel said.  
  
“SHE is part of the reason, in this case Teri is short for Teresa. If only I was still a man.”  
  
Becks laughed, “and I was ready to commit. Hell, she’d make me.”  
  
“You’ve both met this Teri?” Daniel was gobsmacked.  
  
“Yeah, the things she’s done with some of my stills are amazing.” Becks said. “She and Betty really do have a game plan that’s going to rock the publishing world.” Becks answered.  
  
Daniel looked at his sister, “really?” She just nodded. “And you believe in this too mom?”  
  
“Yes, Daniel, why?”  
  
“Because in the vision, several months from now I tell Betty that I’m not prepared to fund her hack magazine. It’s one of the reasons why we break up.”  
  
“You jerk,” Amanda cried out.  
  
Tyler put a restraining hand on Amanda’s arm, “Calm down honey, Daniel was obviously shown that vision so as not to do that in the future.”  
  
“Kind of, I guess,” Daniel said, “but Meade can’t afford to fund anymore paper magazines at this time.” He turned back to Claire, “this is purely electronic?”  
  
Claire nodded, “yes, darling. No printing whatsoever, it’s still funded by advertising but we also receive revenue from purchases made through the site. Betty has already lined up several contributors and potential advertisers already and there has been a lot of buzz created by Betty’s move from Dunne back to Meade, people want to know what she’s up to especially once she set foot back on American soil yesterday. Suzuki wanted me to give him an exclusive.”  
  
“I trust you turned him down?” Alexis asked.  
  
“Of course.” Claire remarked. “I may be claiming my pension but I still have plenty of chickens running around in my coop.” Her attention went back to her son, “is there anything else in your future that you’d like to share?”  
  
“I was shown visions of what may happen, I just have to make sure that they don’t. I don’t want to lose Betty once I make her mine, and I certainly don’t want to be estranged from her so badly that I don’t know about our daughter.”  
  
“Your what?” Claire looked astonished.  
  
“My daughter, the last visions I was shown were of Ignacio being buried. Betty was sat with this beautiful little girl huddled into her lap, she had Betty’s dark hair and my blue eyes. She was even called Daniela.” He smile wistfully, “Mom, you were sat next to Betty at the funeral asking her to stay in New York so that you could at least see your grandchild more often. Especially with Matt dying two weeks earlier as well, and my not being around. I kind of understood where things went wrong for me with dad by seeing that little girl for the first time, I loved her even though I didn’t know about her. I now know how much dad loved me too, it was just circumstance that kept him away.”  
  
“What do you mean?”  
  
“Rosa showed me a vision from when I was about four or five, dad reading to me one night after he’d got home from work. She said that he never worried about me because he knew I’d turn out ok, so when he did finally spend some time with me he hoped I’d see it as something special. It just wasn’t often enough.”  
  
“Oh Daniel.” His mother fawned, “so where were you when Betty, Daniela and I were at Ignacio’s funeral?”  
  
“In London, surprisingly. I’d seemingly fled there in order to become some kind of aging playboy. I partied too much, got hooked on drugs and Becks found me in some dive two seconds away from death after being kicked to within an inch of my life because I couldn’t pay my tab. I’d already died on the operating table several times just about the time Alexis showed up at the hospital.”  
  
“Betty would’ve had a third death to deal with in as many weeks.”  
  
“I guess so, I’d have hated to have done that to her, I don’t want to do that.” Daniel sighed, “so that was the big secret then, Betty’s staying in New York, for good?”  
  
Claire nodded, “apart from the fact that she was desperately unhappy as well. She never really settled down, I mean she loved London but it didn’t hold the same charm as home. She missed everyone terribly. Especially you.”  
  
Daniel smiled, “Really? Did she meet anyone whilst she was over there?”  
  
“No, Daniel. There hasn’t been anybody; no Henry’s or Matt’s or anyone else. I honestly believe she was too hung up on you, even though she doesn’t quite tell it like that.”  
  
“Good.” He looked around the table sheepishly, “I mean I’m glad she’s back.” He turned his attention back to his mother. “When is she supposed to be here?”  
  
“About four, why?”  
  
“Because if that snows continues to fall like that she won’t make it, and in fact we won’t get out either.” Daniel nodded towards the window, so that everybody else could take in the scene. “Mom, I really need to see Betty today, I made a promise to Rosa. Do you think you can ring her and get her to come over now?”  
  
Claire smiled, “I have a better idea. Why don’t you meet her at her apartment? You could take dinner with you.”  
  
“Her apartment? When did she have time to get that sorted out?” Daniel saw his mother grin, “you did it?”  
  
“Guilty as charged!” Claire remarked as she eagerly wrote down Betty’s address before making her way out of the room to organise the food and telephone Betty. Daniel rushed out into the hallway in order to call for a taxi and find his coat. He was busy sorting out his scarf when Claire reappeared. “She’s going home right now, how long do you have to wait for a cab?”  
  
“They said they had someone close by, maybe another five minutes or so.”  
  
“That’s great, you should get there just after her.” She handed over a bag, “here’s dinner, and I’ve put a bottle of champagne in there for you as well. I just hope you have occasion to drink it.”  
  
“So do I,” he leant down and kissed his mom on the cheek. “Thanks for everything mom, I love you.”  
  
“I know, even though I thought I’d lost you for a while there, I’m glad my loving, caring son back. I love you too, Daniel.” She wiped at an errant tear as they could hear a cab pulling up outside before honking on the horn. “Now go and get her.”  
  
“I will,” he said before opening the door and making his way through the snow to the waiting car. He chatted amiably to the driver whilst wondering if they were ever going to make it. But they were soon driving through the city and he was close enough now that he could almost smell victory, providing Betty would let him in. If, by some slim chance that she didn’t, it wasn’t very far to walk to his own building if he needed to, and his mother had packed him off with enough food to feed a small army.  
  
His phone buzzed as soon as he got out of the cab. It was a text from Amanda.  _Door code, 8324_. He silently thanked her as he reached the door and punched in the numbers before walking into the lobby and getting his bearings. He pulled out the piece of paper with her address on, checked it and made for the stairs. There was no way that he was going to allow fate to take a hand and stop him seeing Betty as he had promised to do. Getting stuck in the lift was not an option, although he seemed to think that his father or one of the other visitors he had encountered early that very morning would make sure that wouldn’t happen. Besides he still worked out and seven flights of stairs would be easy.  
  
As he rounded the staircase for the last time, he spotted Betty’s door straight away without even having to look for the number. After all, it was the only one in the whole building with a Christmas wreath hanging merrily from it, if he hadn’t been given the address by his mother then this would’ve been the door he’d have picked first. He stood before it for several seconds wondering what to do or say. Heck, if he had to think about it, it wouldn’t be right. It should be impulsive, it should be heartfelt. He knocked on the door several times, before giving himself the opportunity of turning and running for the hills. “Just a minute,” he heard her call from inside.  
  
He looked around himself, at the other unsurprisingly neutral doors, the glaringly bare hallway, the garish strip lighting. Surely the building could be decorated fractionally better for the neighbourhood she was now living in, but then she probably hadn’t paid the over inflated prices of the kind of place he was in only a few blocks over. It wasn’t like most people spent a lot of time in a hallway anyway, usually. He checked his watch, eager waiting to see her but something was making her take her time. He was just about to knock again when he heard a sudden gasp from the other side of the door and the chain being drawn aside.  
  
Before he knew it the door was swung open wide. “Daniel?”  
  
His eyes raked over the woman in front of him, after two years she had really become more exquisitely beautiful and sexy than even in any of the visions he had been shown. He knew he would never feel too old for her from now on, she had really grown into herself, found her footing in life, become a woman that he could love until the end of his days and even beyond, if only she’d let him. “You’re even more beautiful than I was lead to believe.”  
  
She absently pulled the lilac angora cardigan around her body self-consciously, “I’m sorry?”  
  
“Betty, wow. Um. Look.” He gestured around him wildly, stumbling over every thought that came into his head. “I hope you don’t mind me letting myself in, Amanda gave me the code for the door.”  
  
“No, that’s ok. Rather that than have you freeze outside on the doorstep. Although from what I hear, you’ve been freezing innocent hearts and eating them for breakfast since I went to London.”  
  
This wasn’t going well. “Can I come in for a second?”  
  
“I don’t know, am I going to be your next victim. Or are you finally going to wish me a good trip.”  
  
“I come bearing food and gifts.”  
  
“Daniel, what do you want?”  
  
“To apologise for being such a jerk. I’m sorry that I screwed up so badly before you left, and after you left too. I should’ve just called you or emailed you but I was afraid to.”  
  
“Afraid, the great Daniel Meade was afraid. Of what?”  
  
“Of this, actually.” He held his hands up towards her. “You’re obviously angry with me and I can understand why. I just want to make things better between us. We’re still friends aren’t we?”  
  
Betty sighed, “I thought we were. Once. But now I’m not sure. Friends are there for one another, a shoulder to cry on, strength in the wake of adversity, a means of escape when things are tough. I needed you Daniel, I just needed to hear your voice or read your words but you couldn’t even give me that. What am I supposed to think?”  
  
“Ok, so I’m a terrible friend. Do we really have to do this in the hallway? It’s Christmas, a time of forgiveness, I’m sure your neighbours don’t want to hear any of this. Besides I have something very important that I have to tell you.”  
  
Reluctantly she stood aside letting him walk past her and into the small space that would laughingly be called a lobby in the details. But as he stepped through into the living area the whole apartment opened up before him and he could see why his mother had helped Betty choose this place. The view over Washington Square was magnificent and even more so with the snow still falling. “Your mom did a great job finding this place for me, and then getting it decorated.”  
  
“She decorated it for you?”  
  
“Why are you so surprised?”  
  
“Because this must have been planned months ago and I had absolutely no idea.”  
  
“You’re not the sharpest tool in the box at times, Daniel.”  
  
“No, I’m not.” He grinned, “and according to mom, you’re not so hot yourself sometimes either.”  
  
“And what’s that supposed to mean?” She asked defensively.  
  
“Can I at least get comfortable first?” She nodded, helping him free himself of his coat and the bag full of food. She started to put the boxes away in the fridge as he took off his scarf and gloves. He shrugged at her when she held up the champagne with a quizzical look on her face. “You can thank mom for that too.” Betty left it on the side, “it’s better chilled, you know.” He said, as he looked up the staircase into the bedroom above. The glass wall had to be his mother’s touch, he really couldn’t see Betty specifically asking for that design feature.  
  
“I know, but considering Claire had already filled half the fridge up with similar bottles before I moved in we’ll have plenty to start on.”  
  
“So, you’re planning on opening at least one whilst I’m around then?” Daniel asked, as he sat down on the couch.  
  
“Maybe. If you’re good.” She sat in the lounger opposite him, her small frame lost in the enormity of the chair, her legs dangling down over the side, her feet a good six inches away from the floor. “What’s this all about?”  
  
“What’s what all about?” His eyes twinkled as he smiled.  
  
“This. Claire getting me to come home rather than get stuck in the snow on the way to the mansion. You then turning up, uninvited I might add, with food and drink …”  
  
“And presents.” He cut in.  
  
“What?”  
  
“I have presents for you too.”  
  
“Oh.”  
  
“It’s ok if you haven’t got me anything, it’s been almost two years since we saw one another. And we didn’t really part on friendly terms.” He said reluctantly as he watched Betty’s hands wringing together. “Betty, we really need to talk.”  
  
“We do.” She said so quietly he could hardly hear her. “I need a drink. Can I offer you a tea or coffee, Daniel?”  
  
“Coffee would be great actually,” he said, leaning back into the soft, enveloping cushions of the extremely comfortable furniture his mother had evidently picked out, and relaxing. If this was what it felt like to be at home then he didn’t want to give this up. Molly’s apartment had been pleasant but somewhat cramped, and even though Betty’s place was smaller in comparison to his loft there was just something about the place that made him feel like everything was right in the world. Hadn’t he said that at some time to Betty before? Ah yes, when they’d been dancing together at her sister’s wedding. How could he have forgotten? Closing his eyes he leant his head back and dreamt of that night once again.  
  
Betty walked back towards the couch, “I hope you don’t mind that it’s instant. Claire got me some coffee beans but no grinder to grind them with.” She placed the two cups down on the table before looking over to the man that was now lying along the length of it, his head supported by several of the scatter cushions, his eyes firmly closed, his breathing steady. He was most definitely asleep. Their talk and presents would now have to wait until the morning.  
  
She quickly retrieved a blanket from the closet, removed his shoes and covered his body with the comforter, tucking it around him so that he wouldn’t get too cold when the heating went off. She stooped to kiss him on an exposed part of his forehead. He looked so peaceful as he slept, looked ten years younger without the weight of the world on his shoulders. If only things had turned out differently.  
  
After she’d checked that they were locked in for the night, she turned off the ambient lighting downstairs and made her way up to her bedroom. Once ready for bed, she got in between the covers and picked up her book, but she couldn’t concentrate on it, her mind always wandering to thoughts of the man downstairs. And even when she turned out the light, closed her eyes and tried to sleep, she couldn’t stop thinking about him and what would happen once he woke up. Would he stay and talk as he’d mentioned before or would he find a way to escape and never speak to her again. She hoped it wouldn’t be the latter but she wasn’t going to take any chances.  
  
Pulling the duvet and a pillow from her bed she crept back down the stairs and curled up in the chair that she had sat in earlier on. When he woke up she’d be there, waiting. He was right, they really needed to talk and she would make every effort to make sure that it would happen before Christmas was over.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7  
  
A sudden chill woke Daniel up, he only hoped that he had dreamt about Rosa telling him off and it wasn’t another actual visit from her. Not that he really minded, it was unfortunate that he would never meet the living version of the woman who he favoured to be his new mother-in-law had he the opportunity to make Betty his wife. Like mother, like daughter, they both had a knack of making him believe in himself with only a small amount of encouragement and the Suarez hug. But the problem still remained, he’d made a promise and he intended to keep it.  
  
He sat up, realising a little late that he was tangled up in the blanket that Betty must have laid over him once he’d fallen asleep. Unceremoniously he landed on the floor with a thud. “Daniel?” Betty cried out, his accident having woken her up with a start. “Are you ok?”  
  
“I’m fine, a little shaken up but I’ll be ok.”  
  
“What happened?” She scrambled out of her chair and was by his side in no time, attempting to grab his hands and help him to his feet.  
  
“Evidently some kindly spirit covered me with a blanket and tucked it in around me so tightly that I got caught up in it and fell onto the floor.” He snickered, watching the light from the moon illuminate her concerned features. He let her help him back onto the couch before pulling back the blanket and gesturing for her to sit next to him but she stood before him, never moving, just watching. “Betty, please. It’s cold. We’d both benefit from being closer. I’ll just wrap the cover around us and keep my hands where you can see them if that’s what you’re worried about?”  
  
“No, that’s not it.”  
  
“Then what is it?”  
  
“We need to talk.”  
  
“And you have to be standing up?” He joked. She sat back down in her chair to make a point, wrapping the duvet around her body. “Ok, so you don’t.” Clasping his hands in front of him he let the blanket fall down at his feet. “Where do you want to start?”  
  
“The beginning is always a good place. How about you start by telling me why Amanda resigned?”  
  
He sighed heavily, “that’s really not going to help.”  
  
“Why not?”  
  
“Because, Betty, the reason why I’ve been a complete ass for the last two years has been … because …” He stopped, his heart beating wildly in his chest.  
  
“Yes?” She asked expectantly.  
  
He felt her eyes watching him carefully, he lifted his gaze, holding onto hers as if it were his only lifeline. “I should never have let you go.” His declaration almost a whisper.  
  
“You were my boss …”  
  
“That’s wasn’t the point.”  
  
“You had a duty to break my contract.”  
  
“I had no duty, but that’s not it either.” He barked out, his voice louder.  
  
“I gave you notice,” she stood up, “I needed to follow my dreams, I thought you understood that.” The moonlight glinting over her cheeks as tears streamed silently down her face.  
  
“How could I understand, Betty?” He yelled out with frustration, standing up and towering over her, before calming himself and closing his eyes. “All I understood was that the best friend I ever had was leaving me. The person I loved the most was moving three and a half thousand miles away and I didn’t know why.” A lone tear slid down from his eye.  
  
“What are you saying?” Betty’s voice was low, almost a whisper.  
  
“What do you think I’m saying?” His voice cracked as he gulped back more unshed tears. “I’m nothing without you, Betty.”  
  
“That’s not true.” She softened, moving towards him and taking his arm to make him sit back down on the couch. She sat next to him, her back against the cushions and feet tucked up underneath her as he sat forward, his face in his hands.  
  
He looked back momentarily, “it is. Over the last few years I’ve become someone that I’m not very proud of. Hell, my father wouldn’t even have been proud of what I’d turned into, from one extreme to the other. I’ve been angry, arrogant, selfish, pig-headed, bitter, stand-offish and what was it Amanda said? Oh, yeah, unlovable. And that was just at work. Let alone some of the hurtful things I’ve said and done to my family.”  
  
“Well, I’m sure you didn’t mean the things you said or did.”  
  
“Amanda told me that everyone was lying to you when you asked how I was doing.”  
  
“Amanda and your mother tried to hide things but I could tell they were keeping things from me. Plus, I had Justin telling me all sorts of things about you from various sources, most especially Marc.”  
  
He smiled wanly, “I should’ve know you’d get the truth from someone. So you know about what a jerk I’ve been?”  
  
“Yes.” She paused, her hand began soothing his back “why?”  
  
“I told you.”  
  
“That’s not a good enough reason.”  
  
He stood up again, walking towards the window and leaning his arm up against the frame above his head just as he had done the night he had sworn to let her go. “The day I signed your release, I wasn’t late for any meeting.”  
  
“What?”  
  
He turned back to face her. “I went to your party but stayed away, watching you dance with Amanda and Marc.” She looked shocked, he continued hoping that her silence was a good sign. “The only time I missed seeing you was when you must have made that call to me. I’ve kept the message you left me on my voicemail to remind me of how upset I made you for not turning up.” Her brows furrowed. “When I said that I couldn’t live without you,” he faltered slightly.  
  
“Yes?”  
  
His voice hitched, “I meant it Betty, every word.”  
  
Her eyes scanned his face, a multitude of emotions passing over her own, shock became bewilderment, bewilderment became amusement, and amusement became understanding. “You love me?” She stated simply.  
  
He nodded, “yes.”  
  
“How long?”  
  
“I knew for definite at Hilda’s wedding.”  
  
“Oh.” She looked away from him then turned back, her face flushed, “oh. You thought that with everything becoming right in the world that we might …”  
  
“What? Make out? Fall in love? Get married, live in my loft and have lots of babies?” He shook his head, “No, I just knew that I would run in front of a bus for you, if you ever needed me to.” He shrugged. “Pretty corny, huh?”  
  
“No, pretty amazing, actually.” Her eyes glistened. “Why didn’t you say something sooner?”  
  
“You had your dreams and they didn’t include me. I had to let you go.”  
  
“Daniel, my dreams have always included you, even in some small way. You were my friend, my confidante, my rock and I would never wish to do something like I did without telling you first. And I was going to, several times, but something always got in the way and stopped me and then Marc found out and emailed the entire Mode staff. I was devastated.”  
  
“So was I.” He recalled her earlier confession, his brows knitted, “how am I in your dreams?”  
  
“Well, I didn’t quite understand why at first myself but I always knew that my move to London was only ever temporary, I was always coming back to you. I just had to put some distance between us in order to work out what part you played in them.”  
  
“So what part do I play?”  
  
“Friend.” She got up from the couch and took a step towards him.  
  
“Really.”  
  
She nodded, “but then things changed.”  
  
“How so?”  
  
“Lover.” She took another step towards him  
  
“Betty, I …” He found his throat dry as he attempted to gulp.  
  
“Husband.” She said, taking the last step and joining him at the window.  
  
He couldn’t hold back any longer, his hands reaching for her and pulling her into his arms, his mouth so close to hers that he could feel her ragged breath escaping against his lips, his own heart beating frantically against his rib cage. He sank lower, lips crashing against lips, tongues tangling, teeth nipping, his mouth suckling her lower lip. “Betty,” he said, his voice raspy. “I love you.”  
  
He could feel her mouth smile against his own, before pecking her way across his cheek, her lips now at his ear. “And I love you, Daniel. I have for nearly as long as you have me. I should never have left.”  
  
“No, everything happens for a reason, Betty.” He smiled, “a special lady told me that.”  
  
She pulled away from him, her eyes twinkling with amusement. “And who was this special lady?”  
  
He looked away, wondering whether to tell her the truth, but then was he really prepared to start lying now. Betty certainly didn’t deserve that. “Your mom.” He said, his eyes finding hers once more and waiting for disbelief to show in them. But it never arrived.  
  
“It sounds like something she would say.”  
  
“You don’t sound surprised that I spoke to your dead mother.”  
  
“Considering I had a visit from Mr Meade senior myself two nights ago, no!”  
  
Daniel grinned, “wearing a Hawaiian shirt …”  
  
“… and flip flops, yeah.” She giggled. “He told me he was hoping that he and his friends were going to help you. They obviously did a good job, my mom must have really packed a punch.”  
  
 He laughed, “Betty, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you just how good they all were or who they were even.”  
  
She shrugged, her smile warming his heart, “I’m sure you’ll tell me when you’re ready. But first things first,” she pulled out of his arms and moved across to the small writing desk that sat in the alcove by the window. “I don’t know why your mom put this desk here, I’m not likely to get much work done with that view to look at every day,” she said looking up to the view of the Washington Square Memorial Arch bathed in the early morning rays of crisp, winter sunshine.  
  
“It certainly beats the hell out of the view from my loft.”  
  
“Jealous?” she asked, searching through a drawer.  
  
“A little,” he laughed.  
  
“Maybe, you could move in.” She looked over to him, “when we’re both ready.” She smiled shyly, her cheeks tinged with a deep pink that he’d always found adorable.  
  
“I love it when you’re mortified.”  
  
“You told me that once before.”  
  
“Yes, I remember. I was teasing you about losing you’re journalism licence.”  
  
“I still owe you for that one.” She gave him a look before continuing with her search. “Argh, where did I put it?”  
  
He stepped closer, “what are you looking for exactly?”  
  
“Ah … this?” She pulled out a wrapped gift, handing it over to him. “I bought this ages ago with the first bonus I got from Dunne. I did hope that I’d see you before now in order to give it to you.”  
  
He took the carefully wrapped present in his hands, “I don’t know what to say.”  
  
She smiled, “don’t say anything, just open it.” She leant in kissing him on the cheek as he stood there still looking at her gift. “Merry Christmas, Daniel.”  
  
Feeling his way across the paper and taped joints, his fingers found a small opening that he could just get underneath to tear away the wrapping. The paper discarded, he ran his thumb over the familiar crest that sat proudly at the centre of the lid. He opened the box, his fingers dancing over the etched silver casing of the pen that she had thoughtfully picked out for him and had engraved with his name all those months ago. His smile was wide as he took the pen from the box and removed the lid. “A fountain pen.” His eyes shone as he found hers once more, “a very expensive fountain pen. That must have been some bonus.”  
  
“I’d obviously done a good job.” She surmised.  
  
“No doubt about that.” Daniel returned, “you never failed to surprise me with your work ethic.” He set the pen back into the box and placed it lovingly on the coffee table. “Here,” he pulled out the first of the two boxes and handed it over, “I, on the other hand, went shopping this morning after the receptionist made a hash job at getting presents for everyone.”  
  
She held the box reverently, the only time she had ever been given a Tiffany’s box was when he’d given her the engraved card holder their first Christmas together as boss and assistant and before she was about to move to MYW. She just hoped this wasn’t a heart necklace. “Don’t tell me, a fondue set for Claire?”  
  
He nodded, laughing, “yes. A doughnut maker for Amanda and Tyler, a book about wine tasting for Becks, a hip flask for my sister and a crayoning set for DJ.”  
  
She laughed, before stopping suddenly, “I’m not on that list.” Her eyes glazed.  
  
“Because I would never trust anyone else to buy you a gift other than myself. I’ve never done that Betty, and I’m not about to start now.” He lifted her chin, “please open it.”  
  
She lifted the lid, opened up the tissue paper and stared in awe at the charm bracelet that sat inside the box. “Oh my God, it’s beautiful.”  
  
He lifted it out, opened the clasp and closed it around her wrist. “I bought the bracelet just after you left, I’ve added a charm for every Christmas and birthday that I’ve missed being with you.”  
  
“There’s more than four charms on the bracelet.”  
  
“Just because you went out with an accountant for a while,” he joked. “I know there’s more than four, genius. Sometimes, one charm wasn’t enough.”  
  
She looked at the charms, “ok, so I get the heart,” she looked up into his face, “obviously, and the B with the tiny pearls like my necklace. What about the others?”  
  
“The shoe was for your foray into fashion when you walked the runway with me, the champagne flute for Hilda’s and Bobby’s wedding when I realised that really needed you to be mine and the diamond signifies the million dollar bra, not only was it the day you got your braces off and showed the world that beautiful smile of yours but it was also the day I fell for you Betty.”  
  
“Really?”  
  
“Yes. There was a time when I said this following sentence to someone I thought I was in love with only to have her humiliate later on.” He paused for effect, “that day at the Guggenheim was the first time you took my breath away, made my heart beat faster and made my palms sweat, Betty.”  
  
She smiled up at him, “you said that to Sofia?”  
  
“She had this test about how to tell if you loved someone, I guess she manipulated me in order to get that reaction from me but you, well you had me bewitched the first moment you smiled at me, so warm and caring. I only wish I’d worked it all out a lot sooner.”  
  
“If it’s any consolation I wasn’t much faster.” She kissed him briefly. “Ok, the butterfly?”  
  
“Halloween, when you came to work dressed as one.” She hit his arm playfully, “what? You made a cute butterfly.”  
  
“Not with your pants hanging from an antennae, I didn’t.” She beamed.  
  
“Actually I figured it could work just as well to remind you of your trip to Olivia’s and of the way all of her butterflies were attracted to you, just like I am.” He grinned, “I noticed you liked them too, those belts you wore, for example.”  
  
“Thoughtful and sweet. What about the flip flop?”  
  
“I picked that one out this morning, it’s for my dad. If it wasn’t for him visiting me Christmas Eve I wouldn’t be here right now.”  
  
“He brought us together.” He nodded, she smiled. “And the Eiffel Tower?”  
  
“Where I’d like to take you on our honeymoon should you accept my proposal.”  
  
She laughed, “Daniel, stop fooling around.”  
  
“I’m not, I really mean it,” he said, pulling the final box from his pocket and getting down on one knee, “I was going to wait a bit but you know how impetuous I can be. I love you Betty and I don’t want to spend another minute wondering if you’re ever going to come back to me. Marry me, become my wife like in your dream.” She shook her head, her hands covering her mouth. He was confused, was she happy and surprised or sad, he couldn’t tell which. “Betty?”  
  
Her hands dropped to her sides as she closed her eyes. A smile hinted at her lips. “Yes,” she whispered, before biting her bottom lip with her teeth. “Yes.” Her eyes found his, tears of joy streaming down her face as her smile beamed. “Yes, Daniel. I’ll marry you.”  
  
He got up, tearing the ring from the box and placing it on her ring finger before any of this dream he felt he must have been in had the chance to disappear. “Thank you,” he said before pulling her into his arms and kissing her fervently. She responded in kind, her hands in his hair pulling him closer before they parted breathlessly. “Wow.”  
  
“You could say that,” she took his hand before picking up her pillow. “Can you grab the duvet?”  
  
“Are we going to need it?” He asked, pulling it up from its resting place on the chair.  
  
“Not immediately,” she responded, pulling him along and up the stairs to her bedroom.  
  
“You seem eager to have your wicked way with me.”  
  
“Two years of waiting will do that to a girl. I’m desperate to find out what I’ve been missing all these years.” She said grinning, “I’ve read a lot about your moves and I want to find out first-hand what all the fuss was about.”  
  
“Read what exactly? And what fuss?” He asked as they reached the foot of her bed. He looked around him, the room was beautiful, and Betty’s bed was to die for. ”Thank you, mom.”  
  
Betty began unbuttoning her pyjama top, his hands suddenly resting on top of hers to stop her. “If you know anything about me, you know very well that’s my job. Now tell me Betty, what exactly have you been reading?” She retrieved her laptop from the night stand, sat on the edge of the mattress and opened up the webpage. She turned the screen around for him to see as he sat next to her. “A blog?”  
  
“Started by Amanda, I would assume.”  
  
“You knew about this and didn’t tell me? You even have it bookmarked.”  
  
“Hang on, I seem to remember saying the same thing to you. You knew about ‘Betty’s Daily Disasters’ and you never told me.”  
  
“Touché.” He said as he read through some of the articles, “but this is slightly more personal.”  
  
“Had you known about it when it was being written, I’m sure it would just have boosted your ego.”  
  
“Betty, I’m not that man anymore.”  
  
Her hand cupped his cheek. “I know, that’s why I was glad to wait. We both had so much growing up to do.” Her kiss was tender.  
  
He closed the laptop and set it back on the stand before allowing her to carry on with her gentle ministrations. His fingers danced over the satin of her top, deftly unbuttoning every last button and letting the two sides fall open. He gazed over what he could see of her skin as he knelt down in front of her, kissing down her sternum and between her breasts. She shuddered as his hands sunk underneath the fabric lying around her neck and over her shoulders allowing the garment to effortlessly slip down her back and her arms, her nipples budding from the sudden coldness and his own loving scrutiny of them. “Beautiful.” He said simply, before one hand stroked delicately over a nipple, his mouth suckling the other.  
  
He allowed her to fall back onto the bed, a hand still hovering over her nipples as he kissed over her belly and towards the waistband of her pyjama pants. He sat back on his heels removing his jumper and t-shirt before moving closer to her and plummeting her mouth with his own, his hands at her waist, caressing her with his fingertips, his thumbs hooked under the elastic worrying the skin over her hip bones, creating a rip tide of goose bumps and causing her to moan into his mouth. He pulled away, “do you really want this? Do you really want me?”  
  
She nodded, “yes, Daniel. Like I’ve never wanted anything in my life. Show me how much you’ve missed me.”  
  
“That could take years.” He joked.  
  
He could tell from Betty’s sweet smile that it was filled with love before she even spoke, “we have all the time in the world, husband to be.” She giggled. “I’m going to be Mrs Betty Meade.”  
  
“Yes you are.” He kissed a spot just below her belly button, his thumbs now hooking under the fabric and inching her pants down.  
  
“Perhaps I should use Mrs Beatriz Meade professionally, what do you think?”  
  
“Hmm?” He kissed over her pubic bone, the pants being drawn lower and lower down her thighs, over her knees and pooling at her feet.  
  
“Or maybe Mrs Betty Suarez-Meade.”  
  
He looked up suddenly, “don’t push it.” He kissed a little lower. “Are you nervous, Betty?”  
  
“A little, if I’m honest,” she admitted quietly.  
  
“I thought so, all that babbling about what to call yourself,” he lay over her, covering her naked body with his own, “why?” He wrapped a strand of her hair around his finger whilst he waited for her answer.  
  
“Daniel, you know I’ve only had a few lovers who, quite frankly, were boring.”  
  
“You’re comparing them to that blog about me, aren’t you?”  
  
She nodded, “I’m not even sure what it is about me that you like so much?”  
  
“Ok, you’re beautiful inside and out, sexy, sassy, passionate, intelligent, you have a zest for life, your heart is massive and you love me.” His hands absently brushed through her hair. “I don’t care about Hartley or Grubstick or that weaselly little guy you were with when you first joined Mode. If any of them had been any good for you then they would still be around. And if I actually did half of that stuff in that blog then I’m sure I’d be making a great living from the porn industry on the side. I admit that I liked sex with as many different shallow, nameless faces as I could get my hands on at the time because I felt like the spare son, the one that wasn’t needed and didn’t need to amount up to much. To be honest I just wanted to piss my dad off, but all of those women were just a score. Like taking drugs.  
  
“When I met Molly I realised that being in love with someone meant something totally different, and making love to that person was totally different too. There is a whole world of difference between getting my rocks off and making love to the woman I cherish and adore more than any other in the world and want to make my wife.  
  
“And if you think that I’m going to compare this gorgeous body of yours to those stick thin women I used to sleep with, then don’t even go there.”  
  
“Really?”  
  
“Absolutely, you have a women’s body, Betty. Not the body of a slightly tall ten year old boy. Your curves are to die for,” his hands slid from her breasts down around her waist and hips to end at her thigh in order to make his point. “Your butt is amazing,” his hand slid over her silky skin to the peach of her behind, “and so hot to look at when you’re walking away from me. Then there’s the not so tiny matter of these breasts of yours,” he cupped them in his hands, “they are divine and could be completely hazardous to my health. And after being allowed to touch your cappuccino rich, silky skin I may need to have a medical and make sure my ticker is up to the job, Suarez. I don’t want to be in the same position as my dad found himself in.”  
  
“Oh Daniel, I never thought to ask if everything was ok in that department.”  
  
“Betty, I’m fine. A-Okay. I have regular check-ups just to make sure that nothing untoward is going on in there. Dad had a dickey heart, I don’t show any signs of that sweetie or anything else for that matter. Now stop changing the subject.”  
  
“Ok,” she smiled sweetly, “so you love my curvy hips, my amazing butt, my silky skin …”  
  
“Cappuccino rich, silky skin!” He drew his finger from the nape of her neck down to her breast bone.  
  
“And my divine boo …”  
  
“Do not say boobs.” He warned as she giggled.  
  
“Breasts could induce a heart attack,” he nodded at the list, “anything else?”  
  
“I love the way your eyes light up when I touch you, and I can’t get enough of your mouth,” he kissed her lightly, “so plump,” another kiss, “soft,” and another, “and erotically inviting.” His mouth covered hers, his hand roaming over her body to hover over her core, his excitement pushing into her hip, “if I have to reassure you how much I love and want you every time we make love, Betty, then I’ll do it.”  
  
She sat up, gently taking his head into her hands making him look her in the eye. “Daniel, I know you love me and respect me. It’s just, I’ve built-up this anticipation of what being with you is going to be like and I feel overwhelmed by it. Even with Matt, it was very much lights off, a bit of foreplay and missionary all of the way.” He grinned at her candidness. “I guess I just don’t know what to expect with you, for a start off its light outside.”  
  
“You have a problem with making out when its light?” He teased, his hands reaching up to brush away the drapes of her hair that had covered her face when she shook her head.  
  
“No.”  
  
“Good.” He jumped up off the bed, picking up their earlier discarded clothing and laying them on the ottoman before removing his pants and taking his wallet out of the pocket. He laid it on the night stand. “There are condoms in there, Betty, why don’t you get them out ready.” She complied, as he quickly took off his briefs and climbed back onto the bed behind her, moving her hair out of the way and kissing her neck, his arms sliding around her waist and fastening together just under her breasts. “So most of your experience has been wham, bam, thank you mam?” He asked softly.  
  
“Yes, I suppose.” She answered, a little sadly.  
  
He turned her to face him, “I have a suggestion then. Why don’t you take the lead on this one?” Taking her hand he placed it over his heart. “We’ve got the whole day to ourselves, we’ve got food in the fridge and plenty to drink. You can take this as slowly or as quickly as you like.” He looked down to his growing arousal, she followed suit. “You can see that just by the way you’re looking at me right now and touching my chest the way you are that I’m up for anything you want to do.” His hands were in her hair again, pulling her up to face him, “forget about that stupid blog, this is about us. This is about two years of unrequited love and affection, and what each of us means to the other one. I love you Betty Suarez, I think I have since the moment you ran into those doors, so adorable and goofy but also forgiving and loving.”  
  
She surprised him with a kiss so passionate that they tumbled back onto the bed, her lithe body just as suddenly reaching back to the night stand for a silver packet before straddling his torso. “I’m not sure what I’m doing here,” she said, trying to tear the foil open.  
  
His hands steadied hers, helping her to open the packet, and pulling out the condom, “I don’t think we have enough time to train you into artfully putting this on me right now,” he smirked, rolling the latex over himself.  
  
She leant back to discard the packet back on the night stand before crouching back over him. “I think you’re right there.” She kissed him again, her hands bracing her upper body over his torso as she allowed him to help her sink herself onto him. She gasped as he filled her, stopping momentarily to get used to the sensation of him being within her.  
  
“How does that feel?”  
  
“Good,” she managed, her eyes wide.  
  
“Well, you’ve got me where you want me.”  
  
She smiled, “yes, I have.” She kissed along his chin and down his throat before sitting up and throwing her head back, his hands at her waist supporting her. “I have no idea what I’m doing.” She laughed, her breasts swaying in front of him, slightly too far away for him to touch.  
  
But just looking at the mesmerizing way they moved was making him harder, “you’re doing well enough from where I’m sitting ... lying even.” He managed, having to close his eyes otherwise he would have no option but to take the upper hand. He slid his hands around her bottom, his fingers digging into the delicate flesh in order to coax her into satiating his need for her.  
  
“I thought we were going to do this my way?” She smirked, grabbing at his hands and using them to hold her in place as she began to move, “is this what you want?”  
  
He nodded, “sorry, but I’m not used to hypnotic boobs.” He bit his lip as if he were a teenager on his first sexual encounter. Not that that wasn’t true, sure he’d had tons of sex but feeling what he felt for Betty was new and it’d never felt this good in the sack before, not even with Molly.  
  
The friction between them began to speed up. Betty’s breathing became a pant, her back arching away from him as her fingers dug into his hand. Not that his were doing any different, and his mouth was now dry with the anticipation of what was to come, their united bodies hurtling towards the finish line. “Oh, Daniel,” he heard Betty cry out somewhere above him, evidently finding her relief and ultimately causing his own undoing.  
  
Soon he too was over the edge crying her name out again and again as he released within her. His arms faltered, her body falling against his, lying in each other’s arms as their heart rates decreased, their breathing became less ragged and they found their voices again. Brushing her hair away from her face he kissed her temple, catching the look of love that she was giving him. “I guess you’re not nervous anymore?”  
  
She shook her head, “that beats anything I’ve ever done before and anything I’ve read on that blog about your antics with other women.”  
  
He watched her body bob along with his chest as he laughed heartily. “Betty, can I let you into a little secret?” She sat up and smiled, waiting for him to carry on. “That was the most incredible, mind blowing, exhilarating, passionate sexual encounter I have ever shared with anyone. I always knew we made a good team.”  
  
“We make a great team, Daniel.” She said, “did I really do a good job?”  
  
He sat up too, pulling her close to him and enveloping her within his arms. “I never thought I’d hear myself say this but I’m actually going to need time to recover before we go for round two. You did a fantastic job and I’m really going to have to go some to top that when I return the favour for your little breast dance you had going on there.”  
  
She smiled shyly. “Why don’t you clean up and I’ll start making breakfast?” She got up and made her way downstairs.  
  
“Don’t you think you’re missing something?” He called out, watching her naked body sashay with each step downwards.  
  
She turned, giving him an eyeful, “I don’t think so. I’m only getting some fruit together to go with the champagne. Can you help me with the cork when you’re done in the bathroom?”  
  
By the time he’d made it down the stairs, via the nightstand to pick up supplies, she had already lit the electric fire; the glow of its yellow and orange flames dancing on her skin as she sat close to the window on the blanket, after setting up a little carpet picnic for them. Oh they could really have some fun down here, but first things first. Deftly opening the bottle he picked it up and sat down next to her, filling each of the glasses she held up. “You do realise that this opens up a whole new level of play.” He said, motioning to the blanket. “We can have a lot of fun here in front of this picture window as the snow starts falling again.”  
  
She chinked her glass against his before taking a sip, “I hadn’t really thought about it,” her eyes twinkled, her grin lopsided, “much.” She added.  
  
Holding up the two foil packets he had in his hand, “well I came prepared.”  
  
“A true boy scout.”  
  
He hitched up an eyebrow. “They wouldn’t take me.” His grin was wicked as he supped at the champagne. “Aren’t you afraid that someone will see us?”  
  
“If someone sees us from over the other side of the memorial than they better be up for watching a good show. Besides it’s not like you haven’t appeared on page six before.” He shrugged at her statement. “If I truly thought that anyone could see into this window from right over there, then the drapes would most definitely be closed. But as it is, I’m in my home with my boyfriend having a great time, and I wouldn’t even care if your dad walked in on us right now. At least I could finally prove to him that I’m looking after and loving you, like I promised I would.”  
  
“When did you promise that?”  
  
“On his deathbed.” Daniel’s brow furrowed, “it was just before he died, he asked for some water, by the time I went to get it and take it back to him, he’d gone.”  
  
“Oh, so his visit the other night?”  
  
“Was to remind me of my promise to him to take care of you. Although I’m probably actually taking better care of you than even he wanted me to initially.”  
  
Daniel laughed, “Considering he hired you so that I wouldn’t be tempted to sleep with my assistant, I’ll say.” He watched her snickering. “Hey, what’s this?” He picked up a package from the blanket.  
  
“I don’t know, it was in the bag with all of the food that your mom sent over.” She placed her glass on the coffee table. “Why don’t you open it?”  
  
Leaning over to the table, he placed his glass with hers before picking up the package and ripping at the paper. “Oh my God.”  
  
“What is it?”  
  
“It’s the gloves you gave me years ago, I threw them in the trash just after Amanda walked out.” She looked hurt, as he pulled out the picture of Betty that now sat in a beautiful frame with no indication that he had ever tried to burn it. He handed it to her. “Sweetie, Amanda told me that day that I didn’t deserve to be loved by anybody, especially you after I let you go the way that I did. I just couldn’t handle that, it was so true, so I resolved to find a way to forget about you completely. I threw those gloves away as they were a constant reminder of a time when I still deserved to be your friend. And I tried to burn that picture but I just couldn’t do it. As soon as it caught alight I put out the flame and threw it in the trash too. I then went out to Union Square to try and drink myself into oblivion. I walked past here actually.”  
  
“You nearly ran me down.”  
  
“I did?”  
  
“Yes, you were in a horrible mood.” She picked up the gloves, “so your mom kept these for you.”  
  
“Looks like it, perhaps she thought I’d feel guilty about throwing them away so made sure that I had them back when the time was right.”  
  
Betty nodded. “Perhaps.” She put them on the table along with the picture. “You’ve got a lot of making up to do, Meade. Those gloves cost me an arm and a leg at the time I bought them.”  
  
Noticing the smirk that appeared on her face he grinned, reaching out and pulling her to him. Within seconds she was beneath him, her legs wrapped around his hips. “Funnily enough, I know just the thing to make up for that and more besides. Would you like to find out what it is?” She nodded, biting her lip, before he covered her mouth with his own. “I love you, Betty. You’re never getting rid of me.”  
  
“As long as you don’t start saying ‘miss you much’, I’ll be happy to keep you.” Her arms snaked around his neck bringing him to her for another of her passion filled kisses. “I love you too, Daniel. Now please, make love to me in front of the whole world.”


	8. Chpater 8

Chapter 8  
  
Daniel leant against the railing of his hotel suite’s balcony, sipping on a glass of champagne. He looked at his watch again as he surveyed the Paris skyline. If she didn’t hurry up then they would miss the surprise that he had had laid on for them. “Betty, what are you doing?”  
  
He walked back into the bedroom through the French doors, noticing her quickly put down the screen on her laptop and getting up from her seat. “If you’ve been working again, I told you what I’d do to you.” He warned with a chuckle.  
  
“I know, but I had this email from Teri that …” She stepped across the room towards him in nothing but an exquisite sable coloured Italian lace bra, matching thong and sheer black chiffon peignoir. It never stopped amazing him that even though she was still the same shy, sweet girl he fell in love with, in the bedroom he had not only unleashed his very own sex kitten who no longer favoured demure cotton panties, but also the fashionista in her was getting her kicks from extremely expensive lingerie. After all who was he to begrudge her such pleasures, not only did she look fantastic but it was the only thing she liked spending his money on. Even he could admit that that was one perk of married life he loved. And had he been able to have his way, her wardrobe would’ve been completely designer too. However, Betty was a proper little Kate Middleton at heart, her clothing still came off the peg from the local shopping mall.  
  
“Let mom and Alexis handle it. In case you’d forgotten, we’re on our honeymoon and for the last week all we’ve done is spend time in this room.”  
  
She kissed him on the cheek before grabbing a hanger retaining her clothes for the day and waltzing into the bathroom, “you weren’t complaining last week.”  
  
He drained his glass, leaving it on the dresser, and followed her in leaning against the doorframe as he watched her expertly apply a little make-up and get dressed. “No, I wasn’t but then I remembered, we’re in Paris, Betty. The city of lights and love. It would be a shame to miss what the city has to offer just because we can’t get out of bed.” He helpfully zipped up her dress as she passed him to retrieve her hairbrush from the dressing table.  
  
“Are you bored of me already?” She teased.  
  
He moved in behind her, his hands sweeping her hair to one side in order to ravish her neck. “I could never get enough of you. I mean, I know in the past that my libido was sky high but even the old me would have a job keeping up with us” His blue eyes twinkled as he caught her gaze watching him in the mirror. “If I’m truly honest, I could go for another round now,” he pulled her to him in order for her to feel his growing arousal, “but I thought that maybe we could go out today, see some of the sights together, have dinner later on, you know get some Vitamin D from the lovely spring sunshine. Besides, housekeeping really need to get into this room. I can’t keep expecting you to help me pull the bed back into shape before messing it up again.” He grinned.  
  
“We are paying for a service we’re not getting, I suppose,” she smiled, nipping back into the bathroom quickly.  
  
Making his way out into the living space, Daniel made sure that he had everything he needed. He put on his jacket and unhooked Betty’s silver coloured mac from the coat stand so that he was ready to help her into it when she finally reappeared. “Do I pass muster?” She enquired, walking into the centre of the room and twirling on the spot.  
  
Daniel’s smile broadened, “you look stunning. I’m going to have to watch the locals.” He said, admiring the poppy print dress that she wore; the full skirt settled on her knee and had been pulled in at her waist with a wide red belt; the round neckline was daringly low and the chiffon print ruffled cap sleeves kept the look young and fresh. She wore red peep toe pumps and held a small clutch bag in the same colour. The charm bracelet he had given her still sat on her wrist where it had lived since the day he gave it to her, it never came off. His eyes skittered up to her beautiful face, expertly framed with curled tresses held back with a ribbon in the same poppy red. The two carat diamond stud earrings that he’d bought her as an early birthday present, twinkling at each ear.  
  
Betty stepped over, accepting Daniel’s help in putting on her coat. “You have nothing to worry about, Daniel.”  
  
“I do wonder sometimes, especially when you look like this.”  
  
“Why?”  
  
“Because you’re incredibly beautiful and I’m Daniel Meade. Recovering playboy and star of his own, real life, soap opera. Who knows what’s going to happen next?”  
  
“Hmm, remind me again why I married you exactly?” Her eyes shone with amusement, “I love you, Meade. Despite the drama and the old ways. So if you think you’re getting rid of me that easily then you’re very much mistaken. I’m yours, Daniel, forever. Besides …” she stopped suddenly as they stepped out into the hallway and made their way to the elevators.  
  
“Besides, what?”  
  
“Er … nothing. I’ve forgotten what I was going to say.”  
  
“That’s convenient. You seem to be forgetting a lot lately.” Daniel reminded her, as his gentle touch at the small of her back guided her along.  
  
“Do I?” She asked innocently.  
  
“Yes, you do. Seems like someone does have something to hide after all?”  
  
“Not at all, Daniel,” she said as convincingly as she could as they walked outside and into the sunshine. “So what do you have planned?”  
  
“Nice change of subject, Mrs Meade. How about the Arc De Triomphe first and then a walk down the Champs Elysees, we’ll probably find a street café down there where we can sit and eat alfresco.”  
  
“Sounds good.” She said as they got into the back of their waiting limousine.  
  
Daniel pulled Betty closer, his arm around her shoulders whilst his other hand caught one of hers and brought it to his mouth, kissing it. “Betty? You would tell me if there was something going on, wouldn’t you?”  
  
Her eyes fluttered up to his, “of course I would. No secrets, remember?”  
  
“I remember, it’s just that I have the distinct impression that you’re not telling me something.”  
  
She bit her lip and looked downwards. “Actually, there is something but I don’t want to talk about it in the car or when we get to wherever it is we’re going?”  
  
“Ok,” he said, extracting himself from beside her and speaking with the driver. A few minutes later they were deposited close to a small rose garden overlooking the Seine and found a bench where they could talk relatively privately. “So what’s going on? Are you dying?”  
  
Betty looked up at him quickly, his eyes full of concern. He’d obviously imagined that what she had wanted to tell him was possibly akin to when Molly had told him she was ill. “No,” she said softly, “I’m not dying, Daniel. Not for a good while yet, I hope.” She said, taking his hand and trusting that would be enough to reassure him on that point.  
  
“Then what? This isn’t working? You’re leaving me?” He asked, “I’ve told you about what happens to me in the future when you leave me.”  
  
“What Fey showed you that could happen to you, you mean?” She said, “and with everything I told you this morning, that’s still not enough to ally those fears of yours either?”  
  
“Well, I died a pretty horrible death, and it was your third death to deal with in as many weeks. Even if you didn’t love me anymore I still wouldn’t want to do that to you.”  
  
“Daniel, I am not leaving you. Although I might if you carry on like this.” She sighed in frustration, “God, what are you going to be like when we have our first child?”  
  
He looked out across the water, picking out a point in the skyline as he digested the last couple of words of her query. When he looked back, he found her watching him intently, the strangest look upon her face, a look he’d never encountered before. He smiled, his hands gripping her arms gently, “when are we going to be parents?”  
  
The most glorious smile he’d thought he’d ever seen suddenly appeared on her face, “you’re not that dumb after all then.” She joked, “the doctor says the end of December.”  
  
“A Christmas baby?”  
  
She nodded, “more likely New Year’s Eve but could be anytime then, yes.”  
  
“And you’re happy about it?” He asked tentatively, affectionately tucking a few strands of wayward hair behind her ear whilst remembering the vision of Matt finding Betty in the bathroom with her sister and the positive test stick. They’d talked about that vision when they had been lying arm in arm by the fire on the blanket in front of Washington Square. He’d been running his fingers through her hair then too, a faraway look in his eyes, as he’d started thinking about what the future could possibly hold for them.  
  
 _“Betty?” He’d asked._  
  
 _“Mh hmm?” Her lazy smile tipping up the corners of her mouth._  
  
 _“Why didn’t you tell me about the pregnancy test?”_  
  
 _She turned in his arms, her sleepy eyes focusing on his. “They showed you that?”_  
  
 _“It was your mom.”_  
  
 _“Oh, well I guess she had good reason. I didn’t tell you because …” she pondered what to say._  
  
 _“I’m sorry, it’s none of my business.”_  
  
 _Her hands cupped his face, “Daniel, it’s not like that. Obviously I would’ve told you had it been me and not Hilda.”_  
  
 _“I would’ve supported you, one hundred per cent. You know that don’t you?”_  
  
 _“I know. And that’s the reason I love you so much. You are going to be a brilliant father when we have a child.” She kissed the tip of his nose, “no-one that knows you could ever doubt that. Look how great you were with DJ? I’d have probably depended on you anyway if it had been me that was pregnant. Just because Matt was giving me all these signals that told me he could be committed to a baby; I honestly believe, especially with the way he took off those few months later, that our child wouldn’t have kept him with me.” She looked away, her eyes glassy with unshed tears._  
  
 _“Well, he’ll never have the opportunity to hurt you like that again. Ever!” Daniel said, kissing her cheek, her neck and her chin in order to bring her back to him, “I’m not sorry I hit him, you know. And I’d do it again, in a heartbeat.”_  
  
 _“I know,” she said as he caught a tear on her cheek and wiped it away. “I love you.”_  
  
 _“And I love you.”_  
  
“Daniel, I didn’t say anything before because I’ve only known for about a week myself. I’m still trying to get my head around it. In truth, I’m overwhelmed and a little scared, like any first time mom would be, but I’m also ecstatic.” She held his hands, bringing him back to the present. “I mean I would’ve loved to have a bit more time with you before I had to share you but it’s happened, I know you’ll be there for me every step of the way and honestly,” she smoothed her hand over her stomach, “I can’t wait to welcome this little one into the world and into our family.”  
  
His hands covered hers, “you know I’ve wanted this for so long,” she nodded, “well, I’m scared too.”  
  
“Of what?”  
  
“I’ve been on my own for so long and I haven’t had that much luck in love, then within the space of a few months I’ve fallen even more deeply in love with the most wonderful women I’ve ever met, I’ve married her and in a few short months we’re going to be parents. I’m overwhelmed too.” He took her hands in his, “it’s not as good a timing as I would’ve hoped for, what with your e-mag launching soon and mom wanting to kick back a bit. But Tyler is willing to take on some of the extra responsibilities now and Alexis will help out more so I’ll make sure that I’m with you for everything. Appointments, scans, cravings runs, whatever you need. I’m not going to be the dad that is never around. I’m going to be around so much you’re going to get sick of me.”  
  
“I could never get sick of having you around, Daniel. I’ve never told you this but I secretly love having you with me, looking after me, making sure I eat when I need to and then there’s that protective side of you that I get to see every so often, like when you punched Matt, it makes me go weak at the knees.”  
  
“Really?” He asked just as she was coming in for a kiss, her arms wrapped around his neck. She nodded. “You can have too much of a good thing, you know.”  
  
“With you, never. Besides there are probably going to be lots of times when we’re both about ready to kill one another but I know the make-up sex afterwards is going to be amazing.”  
  
“You’re insatiable.”  
  
“Coming from you I’ll take that as a compliment. Besides, I’m pregnant, it makes total sense.”  
  
“I don’t know what the hell I did in the past to deserve you, but I can’t thank my dad enough for hiring you. You are everything I need and more, Betty. I have no idea what it is that you see in me, but I want you to know that I don’t think I was meant to exist without you.”  
  
“You’re going to make me cry,” she said, wiping at a stray tear before cupping his chin. “I’m having enough trouble with my hormones as it is. But I feel the same, Daniel. It might have taken me a little longer to realise it. I mean, I’ve never been so lonely than when I was in London without you, everyday hoping that you would get on a plane and come and see me. I missed hugging you, I missed your cologne, I missed those beautiful blue eyes watching me and really seeing me like no other man has ever done. We were made for each other, Daniel. No-one else could fit the bill. And now we’ll always have a reminder of our love for one another; this baby.”  
  
“She’s going to be beautiful, just like her mom.” He whispered, as he held her closely to him and kissed the top of her head.  
  
“Who is?” Betty asked.  
  
“Our baby girl, Daniela.”  
  
Betty pulled away from him, a puzzled expression upon her face, “it’s far too early to determine the sex of our baby, Daniel.”  
  
“Yeah,” he said, his smile wide, “I have a good feeling about this one though.”  
  
“You do, huh?”  
  
“Yes,” he kissed her deeply, “out of everything that Fey showed me I think that was the one gift that I was given by dad and the others, besides finally attaining you of course.” He teased. “They were able to show me what my daughter would be like when she was six, just in case I never got the opportunity to meet her, I suppose.”  
  
“Oh, Daniel.” Betty hugged him tightly, “what’s she like?”  
  
“You’ll have to wait and see, Betty. I’m not going to spoil that surprise.”  
  
“Oh God, she got my awful hair, eyes and teeth, didn’t she?”  
  
He laughed, “no, Betty. She didn’t. Not that it would matter if she did, she’d still be adorable because she’s ours.” His hand fell over her stomach, “She has you gorgeous hair, and her eyes sparkle when she smiles, just like yours do, but they’re blue like cobalt. Her colouring isn’t as dark as yours but it’s certainly not my pasty complexion and she’s intelligent, which is a Godsend, believe me. I can see us sending her off to Yale or Princeton and it won’t take her six years to complete her degree.”  
  
“She hasn’t even been born yet, Daniel and it’s as if you’re trying to wish our lives away. It’s going quickly enough as it is.”  
  
“I know, honey.” He gently pulled her chin up to face him, “Do you want to know what thrills me the most?” He asked, she nodded and smiled. “That I get to spend the rest of my life with you. And even though we’ll be bringing up the kids, taking them to ballet or soccer or trumpet lessons, or whatever varied social activities they’re involved in; and that we’ll still have our own magazines to run and keep the company afloat and go to gala dinners and the like; we still will have each other to come home to, to snuggle with and make love to when the children are with their grandparents or safely tucked up in bed and we’re not too tired. And those moments when it’s just the two of us will be so sweet, those short times together that we’ll treasure always because they’ll be precious snatched moments. Then before we know it the kids will be long gone and we’ll be on our own again, loving each other whenever we want to and wondering where all the time went.”  
  
“We’ll see, I’m sure you won’t want to sleep with me when I’m grey and have wrinkles.”  
  
“I will never stop wanting you, Betty. Even if your teeth fall out and your breasts sag, I’ll always love you because you made me realise that love isn’t just about what’s on the surface, it’s about what’s going on inside here.” He put his hand over her heart. “We were best friends for a reason, that hasn’t simply gone away because we became more than that, our friendship has been the firm foundation that we’ve built our relationship on. And that’s what will keep us going until the day we die.”  
  
“Friends till the bitter end.” She said sadly. “You old romantic.”  
  
“Betty, death won’t divide us. We’ll be reunited on the other side. Molly told me that even if she’d lived I would’ve still found my way to you.”  
  
“What? We’d hurt Molly like your dad and Fey hurt your mom?”  
  
He nodded, “yep, apparently all it takes is one kiss and we’re hooked on each other. Even in death we’ll be together.” He paused for a minute, allowing his words to sink in. “Betty? Molly said I should ask you about our first kiss?”  
  
Betty giggled, “our first kiss? At Christmas?”  
  
“No,” he shook his head, “the night you saved me from the cult.”  
  
“I told you, you kissed my forehead.”  
  
“Eyebrow, you told me.”  
  
“Eyebrow, forehead. All in the same general area really,” she said nervously.  
  
“Betty, don’t lie to me, sweetie.”  
  
“Ok, ok. You kissed me on the mouth.”  
  
“How was it?”  
  
“Daniel?”  
  
“Please, humour me.”  
  
“It was enjoyable” she smiled, “and pretty intense actually.”  
  
“Were you hooked?” He asked, interestedly.  
  
“A little.” Her cheeks reddened. “But you were under the impression that you were kissing your dead wife so of course your kiss would be intense.”  
  
“Would you like to go for a replay?” He grinned.  
  
“Do you really have to ask?”  
  
He touched his lips to hers, their union so sweet but so rewarding and gratifying. “I said goodbye to my first wife that night but I think I also subconsciously said hello to my second.” He leant his forehead against hers, “thank you for marrying me, Betty.”  
  
“Thank you for asking me.”  
  
“I wanted to make sure you never left me.”  
  
“You didn’t have to put a ring on my finger to ensure that, Daniel. I don’t think you realise that there is nowhere I would rather be than right by your side. But I’m glad you did, I wouldn’t want just anybody thinking that my absolutely delectable and handsome husband was up for grabs.”  
  
“Delectable, eh?” She shrugged, then smiled and licked her lips. “Looks like we might have to order in room service tonight, strawberries and cream seems like the obvious choice for my utterly dazzling and sensationally sexy goddess of a wife, you are giving my carnal desires a run for their money, sweetie.” He pulled her to him, his lips crashing down on hers. “I love you Betty, but we have to hurry. I’ve got a surprise waiting for you.”  
  
He got up and held out his hand for her to take, before they quickly made it back to their waiting Limousine. “This surprise better be good.” She giggled as he helped her into the car.  
  
Closing the door behind him he held her in his arms and kissed her cheek. “Well, it’s not quite as good as you telling me I’m going to be a father, but I’m sure you’ll love it just the same.”  
  
.oOo.  
  
 _Christmas 2019_  
  
Claire sat back from the coffee table, smiling at the decorations that she had been making with the grandchildren along with the help of Justin. She couldn’t help but smile at the grandchildren too, as both five year old Daniela and four year old TJ were both covered in feathers, bits of tinsel and loads of glitter. “You two look adorable,” she said as they climbed into her lap and kissed her cheeks, whilst Justin hung the remaining decorations on the tree. “Now you’ve both been good children this year, haven’t you?”  
  
“Yes,” they both squealed happily.  
  
“And have you been looking after your baby brother, TJ?”  
  
“Yes, grandma. I’ve been helping mommy feed him, and play with him, and clean him up.”  
  
“That’s great, TJ. Have you been looking after Cousin Parker too, Dani?”  
  
The little girl nodded her head, “yes, granny.”  
  
Amanda took a seat next to Claire and relieved her of TJ so that Daniela could sit with her arms around Claire’s neck. “Are you missing mommy and daddy?” Amanda asked her.  
  
“Yes, auntie Manda.” She nodded against the side of Claire’s neck.  
  
“They’ll soon be home, Dani.” Claire acknowledged. The last time she had spoken to Daniel he had confirmed that their flight was due in the early afternoon and that as soon as he and Betty had been back to the house, they would be on their way to the mansion. She eyed the clock, if she’d calculated it correctly they’d be there within the next half an hour. “Is that the only reason you’re sad?”  
  
Dani shook her head, pulling away from Claire’s neck and looking so much like her mother as she stared at grandma and Auntie Amanda in turn. “I want a baby brother or sister too.” She said, “Justin has Robbie and Lulah. TJ has Parker. But I have no-one.” She looked down, her bottom lip pushed out in a pout. “I even told Santa the last two times before this one what I wanted and that I was allowed to ask for something big because it’s my birthday soon too, but I still haven’t got one.” She folded her arms over her chest. “I’ve been a good girl.”  
  
Claire exchanged a glance with Amanda, “you know sometimes things just don’t work out the way you plan them,” Claire said, brushing Dani’s hair away from her face, “the reason you’ve been here this week with me is because there was a problem in London that your mommy and daddy had to go and fix.”  
  
“I don’t mind that, mommy and daddy always come back when they say they’re going to. I just wish the stork would come by and drop off a baby to us, I know mommy and daddy would love that too.”  
  
“Yes, they would.” Claire smiled, knowing full well that her son and daughter in law had been planning an addition to their family for some time. She knew it wasn’t for the want of trying.  
  
Having overheard some of the conversation Hilda knelt down in front of the sofa and began running her fingers through Dani’s long, silky, dark hair. “You know there’s five years between me and your mommy. I didn’t think I was going to get a new brother or sister until Betty showed up.”  
  
“And I didn’t have anyone till I was seventeen.” Justin piped up, “apart from your mom, Dani; but an aunt isn’t really the same thing as a brother or sister.” He smiled at his mother’s somewhat startled reaction.  
  
Amanda shrugged, “I didn’t have anyone,” she smiled sadly, “I was an only child.” She’d spare Dani the talk about her parentage until Dani was much older. “Which is why I wanted TJ and Parker, Dani. And I know that your mom and dad don’t want you to be on your own either; even though you have loads of cousins who absolutely love you and look up to you, mommy and daddy know it’s not much fun being an only child and they’re trying to sort that out for you as soon as they can.”  
  
Claire took Amanda’s hand in hers as she saw the little girl smile. “Thank you,” she mouthed to her daughter in law.  
  
“My pleasure,” Amanda mouthed back.  
  
Ignacio rushed in with a pan of flan and set it down on the table. “I think they’re here, I just saw some lights come up the driveway.”  
  
Claire lifted Dani into her arms, “shall we go and see if that’s mommy and daddy arriving?” Dani nodded her head, as Claire walked from the room and set off down the hallway. Sure enough as she got to the front door it was being opened and Betty and Daniel were rushing in as the snow was falling steadily outside behind them. Bobby and Tyler helped them with their coats as they said their hello’s and soon Betty was rushing over to Claire, enclosing Claire and Dani in one of her hugs before retrieving her daughter. “Oh, are you a sight for sore eyes.” She kissed the top of Dani’s head as Daniel’s arms enclosed around his wife and daughter. His family was safely together again.  
  
As everyone filed back through the hall and into the living room, Claire caught Daniel and held him back. “How is everything?”  
  
“It’s good, mom. The e-mag has been doing great in Europe, so Alexis is pleased. And we’ve appointed the new FD at Meade UK. Tyler will need to get over there in the New Year to speak with him but that’s just a formality.” He noticed a familiar look in his mother’s eyes, “has Dani been ok?”  
  
“Yes, she’s been wonderful, Daniel. She always is. But she’s been asking those questions again.”  
  
“Oh,” Daniel sighed.  
  
“I think Amanda’s been able to quell the tide this time, but I don’t know how long we can all keep this up. If you and Betty can’t have anymore children then perhaps you best tell your daughter.”  
  
Daniel took Claire’s hand, “it’s too soon for that. It just amazes me how easily Betty fell pregnant with Dani in the first place even though I was being extremely careful. This time around there have been absolutely no barriers and we’re having problems. I don’t get it mom, but we haven’t given up yet.”  
  
“Ok,” Claire smiled, “maybe you and Betty should see someone about it, there may be an underlying issue here that neither of you are aware of. But even so, Dani will need to know sooner or later.”  
  
“I know,” he nodded his agreement, “let’s just get Christmas out of the way first and I’ll speak with Betty, ok?” He watched his mother smile. “Come on, let’s join the others.”  
  
As they walked into the living room, they caught the tail end of Hilda’s sentence, “… come on mami, tell us?”  
  
“No!” Betty was adamant, she noticed that Daniel and Claire had now joined them and walked across the room to take Daniel’s hand. “Hilda’s bullying me, as usual.”  
  
“And I thought you could stand up to her.” Daniel smirked.  
  
“I thought you were supposed to defend my honour?”  
  
“Does you honour need defending?”  
  
“No, it doesn’t.” Hilda called out, “besides I hardly think I was bullying you, Betty. All I wanted to know was what your Christmas surprise was this year? You know, after the apartment in Paris, and the balloon ride over London and the anniversary in Venice. What other charms have you got on that bracelet of yours?” Betty involuntarily fiddled with the latest attachment.  
  
“Oh,” Daniel said, folding his arms around her shoulders and kissing her hair, “that’s not so bad, honey. Why don’t you tell them?”  
  
“I thought we were going to wait.” She said quietly, as she watched his blue eyes sparkle along with his lazy smile.  
  
Daniel looked over to his mom, then Hilda and Amanda, before turning his attention back to Betty and then his daughter. He leant in towards Betty, whispering into her ear. She nodded her understanding.  
  
Taking her hand, Daniel and Betty walked over to where Dani was sat on her grandpa’s knee holding onto Betty’s old bunny Poquito. Betty knelt down in front of her, “I hear you’ve been asking Santa for a new baby brother or sister?” Dani nodded her head, her cobalt blue eyes shining as she held her little arms out for her mother to take. Betty lifted her into her arms before the three of them walked over to the window.  
  
Daniel brushed Dani’s hair back, “what would you say if we told you your dream was going to come true?”  
  
The girl’s eyes opened wide, “I’m getting what I asked Santa, for Christmas and my birthday?”  
  
Daniel smiled as he nodded his head, “yes, darling. Mommy’s pregnant.”  
  
Dani looked to her mom, her bright smile reflected on her mother’s face. “Mommy, is it true?”  
  
Betty hugged her daughter closer, “yes, Dani, it’s true. And when the baby arrives I’m going to need all the help you can give me, do you think you can do that?”  
  
Dani flung her arms around Betty’s neck, holding on tightly. “Yes, mommy. I’ve been helping auntie Manda and granny with Parker whilst you were gone. I can help you too.” Dani sat back, her eyes looking over Betty’s shoulder and around the room. “Mommy, daddy, look at everyone.”  
  
Slowly Daniel and Betty turned around to look at all of the stunned faces. “Surprise!” Betty bit her lip before looking over to Daniel, the latest charm sparkling in the light; a baby’s rattle.  
  
He couldn’t help but grin. “We’re pregnant.” He cried out, as he watched a range of emotions cloud the faces of everyone in the room.  
  
“And here I was starting to think there was something up with one of you.” Hilda blurted out as she jumped up and engulfed them in a hug. “See Daniel, I told you to relax. So you relaxed didn’t you?” She asked with a knowing smile, he smirked back. She arched an eyebrow. “I know about these things. Relaxation is the key, it works like a charm every time.” Hilda said, finally noticing the rattle and turning it between her fingers. “Nice.”  
  
“Well, that and Santorini,” Daniel joked, “there isn’t much to do there besides sit on a beach, visit the old town and …”  
  
“Yes, yes,” Ignacio cut him off, “Mijo, I like you but I may have to kill you if you tell me what you’ve been getting up to with my daughter.”  
  
Daniel chuckled, “I was going to say relax in the pool,” he smirked, “especially with so many young ears around.” He walked over to the tree, placing a couple of ornaments on it. “I know they’re not hand made this time around but I felt they were appropriate. I saw them at the airport.” He placed a Greek flag next to the ornament of Big Ben that had graced the tree for the last six Christmases, Dani had been conceived on a trip to London. Then he took out an angel and placed it high up in the branches.  
  
Bobby handed him a drink as he turned around to face his family. “Who’s the angel for, Danny?” Alexis asked.  
  
“For Dad,” he smiled wistfully, “without him,” he caught his mom’s half scowl, “or Rosa,” he watched Ignacio smile, “or Molly or even Fey,” he smiled at Amanda, “I wouldn’t be stood here today surrounded by all of my family.” A tear caught at the corner of his eye as he looked at his wife, contemplating how fortunate he was and how beautiful she looked. There was a certain glow that surrounded her on happy occasions, she’d had it when they’d made love that first time, on the day they’d married and for the two occasions when she’d told him that she was carrying their child. “As I think most of you are aware, my wife is very traditional. I hope this is one tradition that we can all keep each year, everyone being together.”  
  
Betty smiled as she made her way over to him, “I love you,” she said before kissing his cheek.  
  
He clinked his glass against hers, “and I love you, Betty.” He let the tear escape as he folded her into his embrace. He knew that as each year went by something would change, next year there would be at least one other baby although it was looking like Becks and his new wife wouldn’t be far behind Betty and himself, or even Amanda and Tyler. Or come to think of it, Bobby and Hilda.  
  
DJ and Justin would soon have that special someone. Alexis too had found a great guy but this year she’d felt it too soon to introduce him to everyone. Amanda had encouraged Marc to talk to Cliff after a chance meeting had Marc regretting his previous actions again. Betty had instigated another meet up at work so that they could become reacquainted but it had taken Marc some time to convince Cliff that they were perfect for one another. Daniel only hoped that the two of them would marry in the next year, they deserved to be together and happy, like he was with Betty.  
  
Then there was his mom, she still had plenty of life in her, he just hoped that she could find herself someone that was worthy of looking after her the way she deserved to be. Finally, there was Ignacio and Elena, happily married and as much in love and feisty as if they were teenagers. Daniel was especially glad that Ignacio’s latest check-up had been favourable, he would still be around for a good few years yet, looking after the grandchildren and cooking flan. Not to mention all the fun the family would have watching the children grow up and go through life as each and every one of the adults had done so before them.  
  
He looked over towards his mother as Betty held him tighter. There in Hawaiian shirt and flip flops stood his father, his hand on Claire’s shoulder, his mom blissfully unaware as she watched the children play with their toys. “Thanks dad,” he said, “you’ve given me so much.”  
  
Bradford smiled, nodding his head, “I’m glad you realised what it was I’d given you before you let her go.”  
  
“I’ll never let her go, she’s my world.”  
  
“I know son, I only wish I’d been as brave as you. I will always love you mother more than anyone else. She gave me a wonderful family and I messed it up. But I know you won’t follow in my footsteps, Daniel. You’re making your own, and I’ll be around to help your son follow in them because they will be very big shoes to fill.”  
  
“Thank you.”  
  
“No, thank you. I only wish I’d taken the opportunity to tell you how much you meant to me more often. But I love you, Daniel and you are far outshining the man that I hoped I would become but never quite managed to be. You will do well by this family, keep them together and no-one will be able to prise you all apart.”  
  
Daniel smiled, “I love you too, Dad,” he said, as he watched his father fade away. “I love you.”  
  
Betty leant back, her smile wide, “what did you say?”  
  
“I said, that I love you.”  
  
“You’ll wear those words out,” she smirked as he held her hand, walked her back through the family, and out into the corridor. “What are we doing out here?” She giggled.  
  
“Betty, I saw dad again.” He lowered his eyes before taking both of her hands into his, “but I think it may be the last time.”  
  
Betty’s head fell to the side, the chocolate depths of her eyes inviting him to tell her everything. “Yes?”  
  
He caught her gaze, his eyes sparkling like the white hot summer sun on the rippling Mediterranean Ocean, “we’re having a boy.”  
  
“This is reminiscent of our conversation in Paris when you told me I was having Dani.” He nodded, “your dad told you, did he?”  
  
“Yes, Betty. He said that he would help our son to follow in the large footsteps that I’m making.” He watched her grin get wider, “what?”  
  
“Does this mean you’ll finally believe your mom and me when we tell you what a great job you’re doing?” His brows furrowed. Betty shook her head and took his head in her hands. “Don’t you see what Bradford was telling you Daniel? He’s happy with how you’re running the business, he obviously thinks you’re doing a fantastic job. Just like Claire and me. And if you believe that will be the last you see of him then that’s because he’s finally ready to accept that someone is looking after his business and his family. And who better than the son that he helped all those years ago by giving him the one thing his son desperately needed.” She grinned, “me!”  
  
“Hmm, Miss Smarty Pants, you have a point there.”  
  
“I know, but credit where credit’s due, Daniel. You are doing a marvellous job, not just at Meade but at home too. I couldn’t have a happier home life than the one I have with you. I love you.”  
  
“And I love you, Betty.” He pulled her to him, kissing her with just the same passion and ferocity as he had the first time they had kissed seven Christmases past. “Now, do you think we’d be missed for half an hour?”  
  
“Didn’t you get enough last week? I think we could get into the Guinness Book of Records after our efforts then.”  
  
“I was just appeasing your insatiable appetite for me when you’re pregnant.”  
  
“Not just when I’m pregnant,” she teased, “although it helps.” She looked behind her at the closed door, “maybe fifteen minutes?”  
  
“How about twenty?” He said grabbing her hand and running with her into the hallway.  
  
“Done,” she said, laughing at his antics as he picked her up over his shoulder, ran up the stairs, into the room that was always set aside for them and deposited her onto the bed.  
  
His pants and boxers were around his ankles in no time, before helping Betty remove her dress and delighting in the fact that she only had a G-string covering her modesty. “Jeez, Betty, you could give me half a chance.” Positioning her on the edge of the mattress, his mouth covered hers as his fingers made light work of the scrap of fabric covering her core, sliding it out of the way so that he could enter her smoothly. She moaned her acceptance of him, a noise that he was so accustomed to now that it filled him with adoration every time that he heard it. He held onto her hips, her legs circling his waist, as he stoked their mutual rhythm. It wasn’t long before they were riding high and he was spilling his seed within her.  
  
Knowing that he could never be happier than he was at that very moment, he allowed the tears of joy he had been holding back to fall. Betty kissed them away, smiling contentedly after their lovemaking, her body still joined with his. This act was as perfect as it could ever be between them, neither had to tell the other how they felt because they just knew, their bodies so finely in tune with one another. And once their union diminished they helped each other to dress.  
  
Daniel grabbed Betty before they retraced their earlier steps, his hands in her hair, his lips on her neck, “Betty, you are my life, I couldn’t live without you.”  
  
She smiled, “and you are mine. Two halves of the same heart, Daniel. We’re never meant to be apart. And we won’t be, I promise you.”  
  
As they silently walked slowly back to the others, they kissed ardently before re-joining the group, “do you think they missed us?” Daniel asked, his hand on the doorknob.  
  
He slipped as the door was opened, “oh there you both are,” his mother smirked, flattening down some of his hair that both he and Betty had missed in their blissful re-clothing of each other, “we were just about to send out a search party.”


End file.
